


The Golden-Eyed Menace

by staticscripter



Category: Twilight (Movies), Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Drama, F/F, Femslash, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:20:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 47,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24480403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/staticscripter/pseuds/staticscripter
Summary: It’s been four years since Edward abandoned Bella in the forest. She’s moved on with school, a job, and a new family. Bella thought she’d never have to deal with vampires again until a certain Denali enters her life.
Relationships: Bella Swan/Tanya
Comments: 154
Kudos: 630





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight series.

She’d finally moved on. After being left in the forest by Edward, Bella immediately went to the Cullen’s house. All she found out was that venom is thicker than water. That her supposed “family” was anything but. It was as if they were never there. What followed was months and months of crushing solitude. School ceased its importance, and Jacob’s phone calls often went ignored. When she did pick up, she’d put the phone down beside her and let Jacob talk to the empty space. The only reassurance Jacob got was her breathing. Charlie never gave up. He constantly would encourage her to hang out with Angela and Jessica or at least eat. She was practically skin and bones. He did the best he could. She just…wasn’t ready. Heck, if Edward called, Charlie would have even felt a bit of relief. Anything that brought Bella back was worth it.

After her cliff dive, Bella practically changed overnight. Edward’s voice no longer plagued her mind. The desperation for him to return drifted away with the water that had flushed through her lungs. She couldn’t explain this change. No one could. But Charlie viewed it as a blessing. Bella recovered in her coursework. She barely graduated, but she did it. After graduation, she didn’t know what to do, so her days were spent assisting Charlie at the station. Days turned into two years. She can now say that her administrative skills are top notch. Charlie liked it because he could keep an eye on her. She didn’t blame him. A drastic change like hers would make one suspect that she would relapse and return to a zombie-like state. Edward barely crossed her mind, and when he did, the pain barely hit her. She was able to push him away quickly. Not a tear in sight. It was like permanent numbing cream. 

She began spending time with Jacob again, ultimately discovering that he was a shifter. She couldn’t believe he didn’t tell her when he first found out. Just when Bella thought supernaturals were out of her life, another bomb drops. She avoided him for a while. To her, spending time with anyone in La Push meant she wasn’t moving on. She got over it though. Jacob is hard to resist. Sam, Leah, Seth, and the others became like a second family. 

Now Bella is 22 yrs. old and has been living in Denali, Alaska for almost two years. She is currently in college and majoring in creative writing. With school and working part time in a small café, Bella can say that she is finally living a reasonably normal life. Her time with the Cullens and discovering Jacob’s shifter side could make for so many stories. She should benefit somehow from the pain she went through. 

Sitting at the desk in her small two-bedroom apartment, she chews on a pencil thoughtfully. Bella glares at the computer screen. If she stands her ground, the words will write themselves.

“What are you doing?”, a light voice asks behind her.

Small fingers push up on the desk. Henry’s dark blonde hair peaks up, desperately trying to be in her business. She smiles down at him, his blue eyes sending her brown ones a glint of curiosity.

“School work. Something you should be doing”, Bella quips.

Henry is her 7 yr. old roommate. Well, her roommate Leona’s kid. Bella met them when she first arrived in Denali at a local coffee shop. Henry attempted to switch her mocha whip blended with his kid sized hot chocolate. It felt like the perfect match: Bella wanted a roommate and Leona needed a babysitter. However for the past year or so, she’s been more than a babysitter. She was practically an aunt, maybe even a mother. Leona had picked up some bad habits over the years and absence was becoming second nature. Bella would take Henry to school, feed him, and take him to the doctor when he got sick. She is his caretaker, but didn’t really mind. When Leona was around, it was like Bella had a true friend. Someone she could trust and share her problems with. Both had experienced pain. She told Leona about Edward. Not the vampire part of course. Just how she thought he was the love of her life and they would be together forever. Her recovery story. Leona listened with open ears and never judged her. Little did Bella know that Leona needed someone to not judge her and the choices she keeps making. Bella barely has money to get by. When Leona would leave, on her bed would be a note and an envelope of cash. Henry asks about her sometimes. Depending on the day, Bella either brushes him off or tells him that she is out of town on business. Both Bella and Leona agreed that he wouldn’t understand the truth. 

“It’s too hard. Can we go to the arcade instead?”

Bella sighs. This kid. Maybe they both need a break. Bella has been trying to type for the past two hours with barely a page completed. She closes her laptop, glancing at the clock on the corner of the desk. 1:30 p.m.. 

“Who says we should do extra work on Saturdays anyway?”, Bella says.

Henry grins and runs to put his shoes on. Bella grabs her purse and phone, pausing as Henry struggles to tie his right shoe. 

“And that’s one ear…that’s two…”, Henry states calmly. While his voice is level, his face is scrunched up in pure frustration. He knows how to do it, but the strings on the new shoes were shorter than he is used to. 

Henry sighs heavily, dropping the strings on his fifth attempt. Bella walks over to him, kneeling down at his blue sneakers. 

“These things can be tough sometimes”, she says, tying the shoe laces. 

Henry mumbles a small “thanks” and runs to the front door. 

“We’re not going anywhere until you put your coat on.”

He grabs his coat from the hook by the door. Bella pick up his beanie and puts it on his head. It is cold outside and the last thing she needs is a kid with a cold. Bella puts on her coat and opens the door. Henry pushes past her and darts down the empty hall. Lucky their neighbors don’t care about the noise. Even though they don’t have a lot of money, they can afford an adequate, safe apartment. There are barely any kids, but Henry always finds a way to occupy his time. 

“Come on Bella. Skee-ball is waiting for us!”

Bella chuckles, catching up to Henry as he presses the elevator button. They hop into her truck, Henry’s breath fogging in front of him. Bella turns the key. It barely starts. Screeching fills their ears as the car heats up. 

“This truck makes some scary noises”, Henry says. He watches his breath fog as it fills the air.

She ignores him. Every time he’s in her car, he says something about the noises it makes or how it won’t start. This truck is her baby. She’s not giving it up. The drive is quiet. Henry fidgets in the seat while soft rock music plays on the radio. Pulling into the arcade parking lot, the place is bustling. Mickey’s Place shines in big bright letters on the building front. Henry gets out of the car and holds the building door open for her.

“Thanks for waiting”, Bella teases.

Inside, Henry stands in line with her for game cards. There’s so much to do: trampoline pit, rock climbing, laser tag, and of course a variety of arcade games. 

“Filler up Bella!”

She rolls her eyes. This kid. 

“$25 on both please.”

The cashier rings them out, distributing two cards. Handing one to Henry, he stares in awe. He’s been to Mickey’s Place many times, but acts like he’s never seen a game card before. Like it’s pure gold. 

“What do you want to do first?” Bella asks, looking around.

The place is packed, but it’s so large, the lines are reasonable. Henry looks around eagerly, eyes finally landing on the Jump Pit. 

“That’s where we’re going”, Henry says, pointing at a group of kids doing flips on trampolines.

After about thirty minutes of non-stop jumping, Bella is exhausted. Plus, Henry found a group of kids to do jump challenges with so she’s been jumping solo. Catching Henry’s eye, she signals and exits the Jump Pit. She does not know how the kid does it. Her stomach grumbles. Time to get something to eat. 

30 minutes until dodgeball. 30 minutes until dodgeball.- A worker sounds on the speaker. 

Bella signs them up and looks around the play area. Finally spotting the snack bar, she heads over to the thankfully short line. Nachos are calling her name. The line moves quickly and she buys two blue raspberry slushies and a plate of nachos. Now she just needs somewhere to sit. She spots a table by the rock climbing area. A few feet from the table, a kid rushes past, bumping into her leg. Bella stumbles, barely catching her balance. One of the slushies falls from the holder. Great, now she has to clean it up. She looks down to see how big the stain is on the floor, but instead gasps in horror at a slushie covered brown boot. 

“I’m so sorry!”

Bella quickly places the other slushie and nachos on the table. Grabbing some napkins, she turns around, holding them out to her slushie victim. Looking at the stain again, icy blue raspberry marks its territory. Hopefully they’re not too mad.

“Accidents happen”, the victim says.

The voice hits Bella like the ocean waves from the cliff dive. It’s strong and like a breath of fresh air. A light vanilla smell hits her nose. It’s heavenly. Her heart skips a beat and she feels a strange pulling within her. Looking up from the boot, her heart drops fast as her eyes meet a pair of golden irises.


	2. Chapter 2

Bella tries to rest her heartbeat. The last thing she needs is the vampire sensing anything. She looks carefully at the vampire in front of her. Her eyes are golden so at least Bella knows she’s not on the menu. Her eyes pull Bella in even more and it’s like they hold all the answers she needs. The vampire’s curly, strawberry blonde hair rests slightly below her shoulders. She’s a little shorter than Bella, and her pale skin practically matches the arcade room lights. Bella found her breath taking. The vampire smiles, taking Bella in. Her eyes darken slightly, brushing Bella’s fingers with her thumb as she grabs the napkins. Only one thing comes to Bella’s mind: get out and get out now. Yet, a part of her feels connected to this vampire. Part of her can’t imagine walking away.

“Thanks”, the vampire says, leaning down to wipe off her boot. 

Bella barely pushes past the shiver the voice sends through her. She’s not doing this. Not again.

“Of course. Sorry again.”

Bella turns around and grabs the slushie and nachos. She’s got to find another table. 

“Wait! Let me at least buy you another drink since you spilled the first one.”

Bella faces her, cautiously picking her words.

“No need. Afterall, it was my bad.”

The vampire smirks. Bella’s not getting away that easily.

“Fair enough.”

Bella breathes a sigh of relief and walks away. 

Finding a vacant table, Bella dives into the nachos. She wants to leave, but her and Henry just got here. He won’t want to leave now. The best she can do is hope she does not run into the vampire again. She’s gone almost four years without vampires. She finally has a normal life. How could this happen again?

Alice flashes in her mind briefly. Both vampires have a relaxed air about them, yet this one seemed a bit more serious. This vampire didn’t seem threatening, but that doesn’t mean anything. Got to keep her guard up. Wiping goopy cheese off her fingers with a napkin, Bella freezes when a cherry slushie is placed beside her.

“They were out of the blue one.”

The blonde vampire sits across from Bella smiling victoriously. Bella clinches her jaw. She is thirsty and left the blue slushie for Henry. 

“Thanks, but you didn’t have to.”

“I wanted to.”

Bella pauses. Kindness shines in the vampire’s eyes and maybe even a hint of longing. Bella takes a sip of the slushie, cherry flavor coating her tongue. The vampire sits back satisfied.

“I’m Tanya. Tanya Denali.”

Denali. That name sounded so familiar, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. Tanya raises her eye brows expectantly. That’s right! She wants Bella’s name. Bella stays silent, thinking of a fake name. The thought of lying to Tanya sends a painful pinch in her heart. 

“I’m----”

“Bella!” Henry calls, stomping down the Jump Pit stairs. 

He rushes over to her, eyes focused on the blue slushie. He puts the straw inside, taking a big sip. Bella pulls her eyes away from Tanya, smiling at Henry.

“Have fun in there?” Bella asks. She knows the answer, but she’d do anything not to talk to Tanya right now.

“Definitely!”

Henry grabs a nacho, crunching loudly. Tanya watches him with curiosity. Henry looks at Tanya.

“Who are you?”, he asks. 

While politeness was his intention, it was clearly lacking in this situation. Tanya is unphased, almost wanting to laugh at his bluntness.

“I’m Tanya. Bella’s new friend”, she says, holding her hand out.

The way ‘friend’ rolled off her tongue sounded slightly sexual. Bella pushes the thought away. Why can’t she be attracted to someone normal? Someone with a pulse. 

“I’m Henry.” 

Darn it Henry, Bella thought. Why can’t he be weary of strangers?

“Your hand’s really cold”, Henry says apprehensively, shaking her hand.

Tanya chuckles, a playfulness in her eyes.

“It compliments my ice powers. Someone has to bring the snow in Alaska.”

Henry laughs. He already likes Tanya. Crap.

5 minutes until dodgeball in the Jump Pit. 5 minutes until dodgeball.-The speaker sounds.

“We better get going”, Bella says, grabbing her trash. 

Henry finishes up the slushie and throws it away in a nearby bin.

“Where are you going?”, Tanya asks worriedly. 

“Dodgeball. Want to play with us?”, Henry asks eagerly. The more the merrier for him.

“Tanya’s pretty busy with other games Henry”, Bella says, hoping Tanya would get the hint.

“On the contrary, I love dodgeball”, Tanya states, getting up from the table. 

Bella sighs and pushes down an anger rising within her. Why won’t this vampire leave us alone? Yet, the thought of Tanya going away scared Bella a little. She didn’t know why, but what she knows is that vampires bring nothing but pain and danger. She can’t risk Henry getting hurt. Vegetarian or not.

Henry runs over to the kids by the Jump Pit. Tanya waits behind with Bella patiently. 

“So…want to be on the same team?”, Tanya proposes.

Bella gives her a look of disbelief. You’ve got to be kidding me. 

“I think our team is full already.”

Bella and Tanya join Henry in the Jump Pit. Tanya walks over to her team’s side. The whistle blows and kids start throwing dodgeballs left and right. Henry is all in while Bella and Tanya just stare at each other. Bella knows they can’t win. Tanya’s super strength and speed make the game pointless. Bella picks up a ball, jumps and throws it at Tanya. She dodges it with ease, an excited look in her eyes. It’s on.

Bella and Tanya throw dodgeballs back and forth. Most of the time, they only aim for each other, neither trying to catch the ball. Pretty soon, they are the only two left in the pit. Henry watches from the sidelines, cheering Bella on. Sweat drips from Bella’s forehead. Somewhere along the game, she became determined to take Tanya down. It was like all the leftover frustration of Edward, the anger she felt, was aimed at Tanya. Tanya sensed the change in Bella and welcomed the challenge. She even found it sexy. 

“You’re pretty good”, Tanya says, dodging another ball.

Bella jumps onto another trampoline square. She’s breathing hard, eyes not leaving Tanya’s for a second. Tanya’s eyes darken slightly and she licks her lips. Bella’s breath hitches. Why is Tanya looking at her like this?

Bella shakes her head and throws the ball. Tanya dodges again, cartwheeling onto another square. Tanya picks up a ball and throws it at Bella. There’s barely any strength in it. Part of Tanya wants the game to go on forever. Bella catches the ball. Tanya stops instantly, shock on her face and disappointment that the game is over.

The kids cheer as Bella and Tanya exit the Jump Pit. Tanya extends her hand to Bella.

“Good game”, Tanya says.

Bella shakes her hand. The general vampire coldness almost felt warmer with Tanya. Bella could hold her hand forever. She pulls her hand away, a pained look on her face. She’s not going down this road again. Tanya frowns with loss of contact. 

“Let’s play laser tag next!”, Henry says, watching his new friends enter the laser tag room.

“Excellent idea Henry. Let’s go”, Tanya says, already walking to the laser tag area.

Bella and Henry follow her. 

“That game was epic”, Henry says, looking at Bella in awe.

Bella stays silent. For the next two hours, Tanya was practically glued to Bella’s side or at least hanging around the corner. Just when Bella thought her and Henry were alone, Tanya would pop in suggesting another game or giving a tip if Henry was struggling. Henry was loving it. Over the hours, he had accumulated so many tickets, and Tanya gave him hers as well. 

They make their way over to the prize display case. Even though he does not have enough for a game system, Henry still thinks he hit the jackpot. Bella watches Henry as he points to every item in the display case he wants. Tanya collects the candy in a bag as the cashier fills each one. 

“And four Tootsie Rolls”, Henry says, pointing at the chocolate bites in the green case.

Bella grins. Henry knows she loves those.

After picking a few more items, including a bouncy ball and sticky hand, Henry’s tickets are all gone. Bella takes the two candy filled bags from Tanya.

“Thanks for collecting”, Bella says.

“Any time.”

Bella stands awkwardly. Henry takes the bags from Bella, immediately digging into a caramel pop. 

“Well…have a good weekend”, Bella says, turning to the door with Henry. 

Henry waves goodbye as they walk into the cold Alaskan air. Bella’s surprised they make it outside without Tanya following them or trying to continue conversation. It brings relief and disappointment. Does Tanya not want to see her again? 

Outside, the snow is falling lightly. Henry takes the caramel pop out of his mouth and tries to catch snowflakes on his tongue. They get into the truck. Bella looks at the building door. Tanya is still inside. 

“Alright, hand them over”, Bella says.

Henry reaches his hand in the bag, picking up the four Tootsie Rolls. Handing them to her, Bella unwraps one and puts it in her mouth immediately. Chocolate flavor blesses her mouth. Just when she starts to bunch up the wrapper, she sees writing inside. Tanya’s name and number was written in black marker. How did she make that happen? Bella smiles widely and her heart warms. 

“What?”, Henry asks, mouth full of caramel candy.

Bella snaps out of her stupor. She’s not going to call her. She’s not. Looking up from the wrapper, Tanya smiles at Bella from the outside of Mickey’s Place. Bella starts the truck, allowing it to warm up. 

“I know you probably want to go home, but there’s not much food there. Can we get take-out?”, Henry pleads.

“Sure. Let’s get some burgers.”

Bella pulls out of the lot and starts driving down the road. While she is looking straight ahead, a part of her senses Tanya is following them.


	3. Chapter 3

Bella takes her coat off, sitting with Henry in a booth at the Burger Café. They decided they’d rather dine in than eat to-go. Bella studies the menu silently while Henry tries to solve the kid’s menu wordsearch. Even though Bella is looking at the menu, she glances repeatedly at the café door. While she does not see Tanya, Bella feels like their current situation is too easy. Tanya was practically clinging to them at the arcade.

“Do you know what you want yet?”, Bella asks, closing her menu.

“Yep. A cheeseburger, extra pickles. Can I have a cookies and cream shake too?”

Bella nods, though she’s not really listening. Her nerves are all over the place from the past few hours. The waiter comes over, placing two waters on the table.

“Hello Bella. Coming here on your day off? That’s a mistake.”

“We were hungry and the discount made this the easy choice.”

“Good point. What can I get you both?”

Bella orders and Henry gets up to go to the restroom. Bella takes a sip of water, crunching the ice cubes. Maybe Tanya did go away.

“Bella”, Tanya says, standing next to their table.

Bella swallows an ice chip abruptly, wincing as the ice scratches her neck on the way down. She coughs harshly. Tanya instantly has a look of concern.

“Didn’t mean to scare you. Are you alright?”

“No…it’s fine. I’m fine.”

Bella notices a woman next to Tanya. She’s taller than Bella, her straight, blonde hair resting comfortably against her green scarf. Looking into her eyes, Bella sees they are a piercing golden hue. _Another vampire. Must be from Tanya’s coven._

“This is my sister, Kate. She’s meeting me for dinner”, Tanya says, sticking to what was definitely a last minute idea.

Given that blood is a vampire’s food, Bella now confirms they are being followed. Bella nods to Kate, but can’t bring herself to speak. She honestly can’t say it’s nice to meet her. After all, a random vampire is one thing, but two? Bella wonders how many more there are in Denali. Kate smiles, admiring Bella softly, and extending her hand. When their hands touch, Bella’s eye catches a light blue current spread from Kate’s hand towards hers. Henry walks back to the table from the restroom. Spotting Tanya, his eyes light up.

“Tanya!”

Tanya smiles and waves. Introducing Kate, Henry shakes her hand, but pulls back quickly.

“Woah static!”

Tanya shoots Kate a glare. Kate looks apologetic. Maybe that’s the blue current Bella saw. Henry felt static, but she didn’t feel anything.

“Must be the carpet”, Kate says, covering herself.

Kate looks unsure and wary of Henry’s presence. Kate whispers to Tanya as Henry sits down. She looks concerned and it appears Tanya is trying to reassure her. Kate and Tanya sit one table over from Bella. While it might appear to other customers that they are looking at their menus, Bella can tell they are looking at her.

The burgers arrive and Bella eats quickly, trying hard not to look at Tanya. Tanya and Kate order an appetizer of sliders, picking at the burgers to give the appearance they are eating them. After finishing their meals, Bella and Henry walk over to the entrance to pay the bill. Henry walks over to the display case, looking at the cakes inside.

“So are you going to call me later Bella? Today was fun and I’d love to hang out again.”

Bella turns away from the cashier to see Tanya and Kate behind her. Tanya is fully focused on Bella, while Kate does not take her eyes off Henry. Bella’s eyes narrow at Kate. What is she doing?

Tanya clears her throat. Bella breaks her glance from Kate and takes her change from the cashier.

“Maybe”, Bella responds, calling Henry over to leave.

“See you tomorrow Bella”, their waiter calls, putting food down at a table.

“You must really love burgers”, Kate says.

“She works here”, Henry says, grabbing Bella’s hand.

_They didn’t need to know that Henry_ , Bella thinks, looking down at him. She can’t be mad at him though. He does not know what they are. Tanya nods as if she’s storing the information for later use. They exit the café and walk towards the parking lot in the back. Tanya and Kate follow, maintaining a comfortable distance. Yet Bella isn’t comfortable. She’s not afraid at this moment, but she knows there must be a reason they keep following her. Do they know who she is? Bella stops in the middle of the lot. Henry sprints to her truck a few feet away.

Bella feels a stir in her stomach. She can’t tell if it’s fear or confidence, but she senses Tanya and Kate aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. She’ll have to put a stop to them. Bella faces them with determination. Looking into Tanya’s eyes, her determination melts into hesitation.

“Guess I’ll see you around. It was nice meeting you Kate.”

Bella knew the risk was too high. To confront them now, admit that she knows what they are…she was afraid of the consequences. She’d been safe this whole time. She can at least pretend she is safe now.

“Hopefully. I’ll be waiting for your call.”

“I feel like even if I didn’t call, you’d show up anyway. You’ve been following me all afternoon. Even now.”

Tanya smiles while Kate stays silent, watching their exchange.

“Everyone knows the arcade is more fun in a group. Henry seemed open to it. The restaurant was pure coincidence. Honestly, you’re reading too much into the situation. Even now, our cars are just near each other in the parking lot”, Tanya states.

Bella stands mouth agape as Kate walks to their car: it’s across from Bella’s truck on the other side of the row. Kate chuckles, getting into the car. Tanya tries not to laugh, sensing Bella’s embarrassment.

“See you soon Bella”, Tanya says walking towards her car.

Lying in bed back in her apartment, Bella’s mind keeps wandering to Edward. Do Edward and Tanya know each other? She knew it was possible, given they are both vegetarians. Turning over, Bella looks at the chocolate wrapper on her desk with Tanya’s phone number. _I can’t call her. It will make it easier for them to track me._ Bella turns toward her bedroom wall. While she wants to call Tanya, hear her voice, she chooses to let this play out. She knows she needs back-up though. Opening her text messages, Bella starts typing.

_Bella: Are you up?_

_Jacob: What’s going on?_

Bella pauses. How much should she tell him? What she’s learned over the years is that Jacob and the others at La Push hate vampires. Bella was pretty sure Tanya wasn’t a threat, but something tells her Tanya will continue to pop into her life.

  
_Bella: There are vampires here. Before you worry, they are vegetarians._

The message sits on read for a while. Her phone beeps with a new message.

_Jacob: Is Edward there?_

_Bella: No. I don’t even know if they know Edward._

_Jacob: Do you want me to come there?_

Over the years, while Jacob has become more protective, he has learned to respect Bella and let her make her own choices. Bella starts typing, but back tracks, writing a new message.

_Bella: I’ll feel it out first. I’ll let you know if I need you to come._

Bella realized that Jacob coming to Denali meant war in a sense. Part of her wanted to see what Tanya’s next move was. Bella also wanted to get to know Tanya, and that would be hard to do with Jacob around. The idea of getting to know Tanya was both exciting and terrifying. She couldn’t deny her attraction to her, but knows getting involved with her could unlock feelings she thought she’d never have again.

_Jacob: Okay. Tell me and I’m there._

Bella puts her phone on the desk and relaxes. She didn’t realize how tense she was. Closing her eyes, she drifts off to sleep, Tanya’s kind eyes reflecting in her mind.

* * *

Back at the Denali house, Tanya sits in her room staring at her phone. Kate knocks, opening the door.

“You’re not staring at your phone waiting for her to call are you?”

“And if I am?”

Kate enters and sits by the window, creating space between them. Tanya knows that whatever Kate has to say, she won’t like it. Kate barely spoke a word on the car ride home. This is a rare moment of seriousness.

“While I’m happy you found your mate, you need to be careful.”

“I’ve spent enough years with humans to handle them. We all have.”

“I’m not talking about Bella. I’m talking about the child. I’m not asking you to walk away—”

“Because you know I won’t. I can’t.”

Centuries of lovers were wiped away the moment Tanya locked eyes with Bella. She’s the only one she wants.

“I’m just thinking ahead. We can’t raise a human and we can’t turn him. Remember, it’s against the law.”

“My memory is perfectly intact. You think I would put this coven in danger?!”, Tanya says, aggression in her voice.

“Of course not Tanya”, Kate responds, immediately backing down.

Tanya understands Kate’s concern. Turning a human, faking a death, is easy. However, Bella and Henry clearly have a relationship, and a strong one at that. Does Kate seriously think she would do what Sasha did long ago?

“I’ll figure it out. Can’t you just be happy for me?”, Tanya asks, calming her voice.

Kate walks over and pulls Tanya into a hug.

“I’m happier than you’ll ever know. You’ve waited so long. I’m sorry if I made it seem otherwise.”

“No, I get it. This might get complicated, but I won’t make any decisions without the facts. And thanks for hanging back at the arcade. Hopefully you weren’t too bored playing by yourself.”

“I made it work. I always know how to entertain myself”, Kate states with a sneaky grin.

While she would usually laugh, Tanya grows silent. She looks at her phone again, a distant look in her eyes.

“Irina wants to go for a hunt. We should join her. That way you have enough energy tomorrow to sit at the Burger Café all day.”

“Yeah. Something tells me this is going to be harder than I first thought”, Tanya chuckles out, placing her phone on the nightstand.

If she brings it on the hunt, she won’t really be able to clear her head on the next step with Bella. Tanya and Kate run outside to join Irina, embracing the cold as they move through the trees.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day, Bella gets herself ready for work and Henry ready for his babysitter. It’s strange how she went from being a babysitter to needing one. Henry picks up his backpack, trying to fit his lunch box inside.

“What do you want for dinner?”, Bella asks, locking the door behind them as they exit the apartment.

“Hmm…grilled cheese.”

“Grilled cheese it is.”

Bella’s phone beeps. Glancing to see who it is, she puts the phone away just as fast after seeing the name. _Leona_.

“Who’s that?”

Bella places her hand on his shoulder, shaking her head.

“I thought we agreed you’d be less nosy.”

Henry frowns, getting the message. This wasn’t the time to read the message and even if Bella did, she’s not ready for what it might say. She hasn’t heard from Leona in months and the last time they talked, Leona just said she needed more time. Bella drives them to _Book Sweet_ , a bookstore between the apartment and the café.

“Think he has any new comic books?”, Henry asks, putting his backpack on.

“Let’s find out”, Bella says, opening the store door.

The wonderful heat hits them with full force. The owner, Fin, comes up to them from the back. He scratches his head, moving his dark brown waves out of place.

“Is that Henry? You’ve grown so much! You’re almost as tall as Bella.”

Bella frowns. That’s far from true.

“Fin!”

Henry runs and hugs Fin tightly. Fin groans.

“And super strength too? Must be all those delicious burgers Bella brings.”

Bella rolls her eyes. He’s always trying to get free food. Fin has been her saving grace. He knows of Leona’s troubles and does his best to support Bella, most times being a babysitter or tutor. They exchange a look, Fin giving a small nod.

“Tell you what, there’s some new comic books I just put up. Why don’t you pick out a few and sit at a table?”

Henry grins and walks down the aisles to the comics’ section. Fin walks behind the counter, pulling out a seat for Bella. Bella sits next to him and looks at the message from Leona.

_Leona: I’m alive. I’m okay. Will try to come back in the next two months._

The message wasn’t as bad as Bella thought, but didn’t provide much detail either. She made Leona promise that every few months she would at least reach out and say she’s alive. It’s always a constant timeline struggle to determine if Bella should report her as a missing person.

“So tell me, is Leona coming back soon?”, Fin asks, placing the new book of the month on the display.

“Two months.”, Bella answers, putting her phone away.

They sit in silence for a minute. In two months is Henry’s birthday and they decided to go camping as a mother-son trip. Leona instantly suggested it after Henry’s discovery for his love of bugs and desire to study the stars. When she makes promises, she tries to keep them, especially when she makes them to Henry.

“You better get to work, Bella. Let me worry about Leona right now.”

Bella smiles, silently thanking him. She leaves the bookstore and drives to the café. Entering, Bella is instantly greeted by Troy, the waiter from yesterday.

“Bella, right on time. The place is packed for the lunch hour.”

Bella looks around. Almost every table is filled and waiters are quickly moving in and out of the kitchen.

“Oh and someone specifically asked to sit in your section”, Troy says, drawing Bella’s attention.

Troy directs his head to a two-seated table in the corner. One look at the strawberry blonde curls and Bella knew it was Tanya. Her heart starts racing when Tanya looks up at her and waves. Bella glances at the rest of her section, seeing the hostess place a family at a table.

“It is busy today”, Bella states, grabbing her notepad from the side container.

“Yes it is, but there were still tables left in my section. I’m the big dog here. No one’s ever asked to sit in your section before”, Troy says.

He’s not mad or annoyed. His voice projects curiosity, but Bella does not want to entertain it. She knows he remembers Tanya from yesterday. He was her waiter too.

“Maybe some people don’t like your need for conversation.”

Troy frowns and shakes his head. He knows he’s not getting anything from her. Bella starts walking toward Tanya, but quickly turns to take the order of the other table. Sneaking a glance, Bella notices that Tanya seems to be holding back from saying something. After taking the order, Bella finally approaches Tanya. She’s here for work, not conversation.

“Want another slider appetizer?”

Bella blushes realizing her mistake. Now Tanya knows she was watching her yesterday. Tanya smirks, opening her menu.

“Not today. What do you recommend?”

Bella thinks it over, finally coming up with the perfect meal.

“How about that?”, Bella asks, pointing at a wall of photos.

Above the photos in big cursive letters are the words “Beat The Burger”.

“And what is that?”

“Our burger challenge. A 4lb burger with seasoned curly fries. Extra cheese. You finish in time, you get your meal for free and some other items.”

Bella fights to hide a devious grin. Part of her wants to mess with Tanya, especially knowing that she won’t eat human food.

“Okay”, Tanya says in a level voice.

Bella freezes, shocked. She stares at Tanya, waiting for an explanation.

“I’m always up for a challenge. And you suggested it.”

“Okay”, Bella says, writing down the order with a star.

“What other items do I get?”

“A t-shirt, free fries for the next month, and a photo on the victory wall.”

“That’s it?”

“Yeah…what else do you want?”

“How about you let me take you to dinner?”

Bella pauses. A big part of her wants to say yes, but another part of her wonders what Tanya’s intentions are.

“Like a date?”

“If you want it to be a date, sure.”, Tanya says, smiling.

_Darn it_ , Bella thinks. She felt like she fell right into a trap.

“I don’t want to date anyone right now. Dinner is fine”, Bella breathes out hesitantly.

Bella sees this as the perfect opportunity to find out more about Tanya. She can find out how many more vampires are in her coven and if she knows Edward. While she wasn’t ready to admit it, Bella also wanted to find out more about Tanya as a person and why she felt so connected to her.

“Whichever you want. And I’ll pass on the photo. I’m not the most photogenic, and if Kate sees me on that wall, she’ll bring it up for the rest of my life.”

_You mean the rest of eternity,_ Bella thinks. She puts the order in and starts managing her other tables. She does not acknowledge Tanya again until her manager brings out the burger for the challenge. The manager puts the plate in front of Tanya. If she was nervous or even disgusted, she didn’t show it. Her face is calm and contemplative. A small crowd gathers around her. Bella watches from the sidelines. Edward didn’t eat food when he was with her. Yet Tanya is willing to eat a 4lb burger and fries just to spend time with her. All this moment did was bring more questions into Bella’s mind.

The manager starts the clock and Tanya cuts the burger into smaller portions. Taking a small bite, she winces, but it’s so quick, only Bella notices. Tanya continues to eat the burger, drinking water in between the majority of bites. Her pace is slow at first, but then she starts to speed up. She never once looks messy, somehow maintaining a face untainted by ketchup. The crowd watches in awe as they haven’t seen someone finish this challenge in a year. Taking in the final bite, Tanya pauses as she chews. She looks like she’s about to throw up, but after looking at Bella, manages to finish. The crowd cheers and Troy holds up an instant camera for a picture.

“She doesn’t want a photo”, Bella says, standing in front of Troy.

Even though it was such a small thing, Bella felt protective over Tanya in that moment. It came to her naturally. While she may not care for vampires anymore, she does not want Tanya to get into trouble. The crowd disperses. Bella picks up the empty plate and looks at Tanya with admiration.

“You did it.”

“I did. Now I get to take you to dinner. Perhaps not a burger though.”

Bella laughs, bringing complete joy to Tanya. She can’t remember laughing like this with Edward. She wonders why she is comparing them. She knows she likes Tanya, but is she seriously thinking about spending more time with her?

“Definitely. I mean that was…amazing. You took that burger down like a beast.”

“Not quite”, Tanya mumbles, chuckling to herself as if there was an inside joke.

“Well your meal is paid for technically, so feel free to leave when you’re ready.”

“I will. Just need to go to the restroom first”, Tanya says, standing up.

“I trust you’ll call me later so we can set things up?”, Tanya asks, pushing her chair back into the table.

Bella nods. She wants to continue talking to Tanya, but she has other tables and notices Tanya struggling. Tanya looks uncomfortable. She nods at Bella before walking to the restroom.

After picking Henry up from the bookstore, they return back to the apartment. Bella continues working on her college writing exercises, taking breaks to stretch and have a snack. Taking a deep breath, she picks up her phone and starts typing.

_Bella: When do you want to meet up for dinner?_

Bella scrambles. Should she have started the conversation that way? Her phone rings with Tanya calling. Bella answers, bringing the phone to her ear.

“Hello?”, Bella says hesitantly.

“I prefer hearing your voice”, Tanya says, bringing a blush to Bella’s cheeks.

Bella felt a pressure within her. She wanted to say that she wanted to hear her voice too. How it both calmed and thrilled her at the same time. Bella knew in her heart that her feelings didn’t even have to do with Tanya being a vampire and the aura they carry. If they were both human, she would have felt the same way.

“I guess it is nice to hear someone’s voice rather than just texting.”

Even though Bella couldn’t see her, she could sense Tanya smiling on the other end.

“So I was thinking we could go to dinner tomorrow?”

Bella pauses in thought. While she agreed to go to dinner with Tanya, she really didn’t have the time. She’s always working at the café, doing school work and projects, or just taking care of Henry, and while she loved Henry, he wouldn’t make a good third wheel. Bella takes her planner out of the desk drawer, flipping through the pages. She’s had to balance so much since moving to Alaska that she’s almost become dependent on it to manage her life.

“I can’t really do tomorrow.”

“Well, what day works for you? It has to be this week. Can’t have you backing out after that burger challenge.”

Tanya’s voice was soft, yet behind it was a little agitation.

“I’m not backing out!”, Bella says quickly.

After slowing down for a second, Bella closes the planner. She wants to see Tanya and she’ll just have to figure it out. Thinking about this upcoming week, there was only one day where she could make it work.

“How about Wednesday?”, Bella says.

“A middle of the week break. Perfect. I’ll pick you up at 7. I know a great place.”

“No, I’ll meet you there. Just text me the address.”

Bella didn’t want Tanya to come to her apartment. After days of Alice and Edward sneaking in through her window, giving another vampire access to her home was too close for comfort. Tanya agreed, not questioning why Bella didn’t want to be picked up.

“How are you feeling after earlier? I know the burger challenge can have its aftereffects.”

“It was rough for a minute, but I’m much better now. You got me through that last bite.”

“And how did I do that?”, Bella asks.

Tanya goes quiet. Bella wouldn’t know she was still on the phone if it wasn’t for her breathing.

“When I looked at you… I felt like I could face anything.”

Bella smiles. Tanya, a vampire, spoke of a human making her feel invincible? Edward always acted like he needed to protect her, like she’d break with just one wrong move. It was strange to have someone see her as a way to become stronger. Even though she is a vampire, Bella felt there was some truth in her words. Bella does not respond and they both stay on the phone in silence. It wasn’t awkward, it was peaceful.

“I’ll see you Wednesday, Tanya”, Bella says, breaking the silence.

“I’ll see you Wednesday, Bella.”

Bella ends the call and walks into the living room to watch TV. She can’t concentrate on work right now. Henry is sitting on the sofa watching a cartoon. 

“Couldn’t sleep?”, Bella asks, pulling a small blanket over him.

“No”, Henry answers.

Bella looks at his face, noticing tear stains on his cheeks. She sits next to him on the sofa.

“What’s wrong?”

“I miss my mom.”

“I know. We’ll try to call her tomorrow, okay? Maybe you can leave a voicemail.”

Henry doesn’t respond, instead he lays his head on Bella’s lap, watching the TV.

“Who were you on the phone with?”

“Tanya.”

“I like her.”

“Me too, Henry”, Bella whispers.

It’s strange how after just a few interactions, Tanya has found a place in Bella’s life. She knew after their moment on the phone that even more will happen between them, and she realized she couldn’t wait.


	5. Chapter 5

Bella spent the beginning of the week as usual. Tanya texted her the address on Tuesday, but Bella didn’t recognize the place. After talking to Fin, he agreed to babysit. He kept calling it a date, regardless of how many times Bella said it wasn’t. When Wednesday night came around, Bella stood in front of her mirror trying on multiple outfits. Tanya told her she could dress casual. Trying on her fifth outfit, Bella huffs, deciding on jeans and a nice top. Fin walks in, gives Bella a once over and grins.

“You nervous?”

“Of course not.”

“She is. That’s like the tenth shirt she’s tried on”, Henry says, now standing by Fin.

Bella rolls her eyes and looks in the mirror once more. She surprised herself with how much effort she put in. She wanted Tanya to find her beautiful, even though it isn’t a date.

“You’re supposed to tell her how pretty she is”, Fin says, nudging Henry.

“You look pretty Bella.”

“Thank you, Henry”, Bella says grabbing her purse off the bed.

Bella drives to the address Tanya texted her. Parking on the street, she approaches a small building. On the outside, it is pretty plain and it is hard to tell what it is used for. Inside, Bella spots a small waiting couch in the corner by the help desk. She sits down and takes out her phone to text Tanya.

“Hi Bella”, Tanya says, appearing in front of her.

Bella looks up at Tanya. She is wearing a blue dress with leggings underneath and a coat. Even though the cold does not affect her, she is trying to both look nice and act the part of a human. Bella found her stunning and hid the chuckle at Tanya’s attempt to blend in.

“I was just about to text you”, Bella says, standing up.

“Caught you just in time then. You look beautiful. Shall we go up?”

Bella smiles lightly, trying to contain her happiness at Tanya’s compliment. They start walking towards the silver elevators. Tanya wraps her arm around Bella’s waist as they pass by people. Bella looks at her, confusion in her eyes.

“Can’t have someone running into you again and there being an accident. Not everyone might be as forgiving as I was.”

Bella blushes, but does not respond. While it surprised her at first, she liked Tanya touching her. When the elevator doors open on their new floor, they walk down a hallway to a room with clear glass windows. People are standing inside around stoves, ovens, and refrigerators. Bella and Tanya walk into the room, Tanya taking off her coat at the entrance.

“What exactly are we doing?”

“It’s cooking event.”

Bella gives Tanya a perplexed look. _Why would she pick something like this?_

“As I was leaving the café, I overhead you telling a waiter that you are getting dinner to-go for you and Henry. I figured you might not cook much and this is an opportunity to learn or at least pick up more recipes. Plus I heard these events are fun.”

It was true. Bella didn’t really cook. Even with Charlie, they both preferred to go out than deal with the mystery a home cooked meal could bring. Tanya was being thoughtful, and Bella started to like Tanya even more. Tanya didn’t just consider her, she also thought about Henry.

“If you want to leave and do something else, that’s fine”, Tanya says.

“No, I want to try this.”

Tanya smiles as the instructor comes in. Bella and Tanya follow the instructions and start cooking the dishes they have to make. They made small talk at first, sharing ages and briefly talking about how cold Alaska is and how college is going for Bella. Bella still finds it funny to this day how a vampire can potentially be thousands of years old and still give a simple number like twenty-five when asked.

“So how long have you been living in Alaska?”, Tanya asks, cutting onions.

“Almost two years. What about you?”

“Oh a long time, but my family travels sometimes so it’s like a fresh start every time we come back. Where did you live before?”

Bella pauses, contemplating the best response. On one hand, telling Tanya the truth can give an indication on if she knows Edward. On the other, it could lead to a conversation she does not want to have.

“I lived in Washington. Forks. Do you know that area?”

“A little. My cousins used to live there.”

“Oh yeah? Maybe I know them. What are their names?”, Bella asks.

“You might. Carlisle Cullen was a doctor there and his children went to high school in Forks. You may have attended the same high school.”

_Cullen._ Bella felt a lump in her stomach at the thought. She had officially confirmed that Tanya knew the Cullens. Not only did she know them, but she considered them her _cousins_. Their relationship wasn’t as simple as a passing by each other on a hunt. Bella’s heart started to sour, and she began to question Tanya’s intentions even more. Perhaps vampires using humans is more common than she thought. Bella goes silent and moves a skillet to a different burner on the stove. She wanted to ask where the Cullens were now. Where Edward was. She wanted to know if he felt guilty for leaving her, but she decided not to. Sensing the mood change, Tanya looks at Bella concerned.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah…I just burned my hand a little on the stove. Nothing serious”, Bella says, quickly fixing her mood.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m fine. So do you live with your sister?”

“Yes. My family and I live in a private, mostly secluded area.”

“How many of you are there?”, Bella asked with curiosity.

“Seven. Myself, two family friends, my two sisters, and their boyfriends.”

_Seven people. That’s a big coven_ , Bella thinks, as her heart speeds up. Tanya looks at her with worry again, but does not say anything.

“What about you? Is it just you and Henry?”

“Yeah, it’s just the two of us right now.”

“Right now?"

“His mom is…out of town.”

Tanya felt like Bella was hiding something, but pushed it aside. She was relieved at that moment, and Bella could see tension leaving her face.

“But she lives here? What’s her name? Maybe I know her.”

“Leona Brooksen. Do you know her?”

“Afraid I don’t. It’s kind of you to help out with her son. Must be hard raising a child.”

“It can be tough sometimes, but he’s a great kid. Very smart.”

“I can tell.”

Bella shifted the conversation after that to more lighter topics. While they cooked the various dishes, they talked about their interests. Tanya kept most of hers relevant to this century. After the dinner, Tanya walked Bella to her truck. Her hand grazes Bella’s lightly. Bella pushes away the desire to hold Tanya’s hand, instead crossing her arms as if she is resisting the cold.

“Thanks for the dinner, even though I made most of it.”

“I’m not the best cook, so it was learning experience for both of us. Next time we can do something else. Maybe even count it as a date?”, Tanya asks, hope in her eyes.

“Sounds good”, Bella says mindlessly, opening her car door.

Bella drives home, Tanya being the only thing on her mind. What is she going to do now? She had a lot of fun with Tanya tonight and the thought of not being around her again hurt. But, she also wondered why Tanya wants to spend time with her and if the Cullens told Tanya who she was. Lying in her bed that night, Bella decided she would avoid Tanya until she could make a decision to either bring her further into her life and accept the drama that could potentially unfold or to push her away and hope Tanya moves on.

For the rest of the week and the one that followed, Bella didn’t see Tanya. Tanya reached out to her multiple times, but Bella barely responded. She felt a tightness in her heart about ignoring her, so she decided to send small messages back if Tanya sent her one. However, all the messages lacked any real meaning and didn’t encourage more conversation.

* * *

Sitting at _Book Sweet_ , Bella and Henry are both working. Well Bella is working, Henry is reading a comic book. Bella saves her assignment and stands up.

“I have to go to the bathroom. You have five more minutes and then you need to do the math problems in your workbook.”

Henry nods, completely focused on the book. Bella walks away from the table.

“Hi Henry”, a voice says.

Henry looks up as Tanya approaches him. He smiles, putting his book down.

“Hi Tanya!”

Tanya looks at the book, raising an eyebrow at the title.

“ _The Vampire Nights_. Good read?”

“It is. So many cool adventures!”

Henry looks next to Tanya, seeing Kate and a tall, dark haired man next to her.

“You remember Kate? And this is Garrett.”

Henry smiles at Kate and Garrett. Kate returns the smile lightly, but hesitant.

“Is Bella here with you?”, Tanya asks.

“Yeah. She’s in the bathroom.”

Tanya exchanges a look with Kate and Garrett.

“Mind if we join you?”, Garrett asks, pulling back a chair at the table.

Henry shakes his head. Garrett and Kate sit down.

“I’m going to look around for a while. There’s a book I’ve been wanting to find”, Tanya mumbles, walking away.

“So what are you reading again?”, Garrett asks, picking up the comic book.

“ _The Vampire Nights_. It’s about a vampire overlord that wants to take over the city. Like zombies.”

“What do you think so far?”, Garrett asks, flipping through the book.

“It’s cool.”

“Do you like vampires?”

“I do, but they’re not my favorite. And some of the things they say about them are funny.”

“Why are they funny?”, Kate asks curiously, joining the conversation.

“Because a strong, supernatural creature can be beat by something you put on bread.”

Garrett and Kate laugh and continue talking to Henry while Tanya makes her way near the restroom. Bella exits the restroom and turns the corner, almost running into Tanya. She pulls back, surprised.

“Tanya!”

“Hi Bella. It’s been a while. How are you?”

“I’m okay… just busy. You?”

“I’m okay. To be honest, I missed you. It’s weird texting.”

Bella felt a lump of guilt. She missed Tanya too, but was hesitant to admit it. No good could come of leading a vampire on, only to drop them again.

“I’m sorry.”

“Did I do something? I thought you had a good time at the cooking class”, Tanya asks, sadness reflecting in her eyes.

Bella felt even more overwhelmed seeing Tanya’s sadness. It was like their emotions became one with Bella barely able to push them away.

“No, I had a good time. It’s just… I wasn’t sure about hanging out again.”

“Why?”

“Because you said you wanted it to be a date, and I told you I’m not looking for that right now. I didn’t want you to assume things.”

Talking to Tanya in this moment brought Bella a little relief. The tightness she had been feeling since the last time they saw each other was dissolving. Though, she felt like she was half-lying to Tanya. After all, not wanting to date anyone was only a partial reason for why she didn’t try to meet up with her again. Also, while she didn’t want to date other people, the thought of dating Tanya was becoming more prevalent.

“We don’t have to date, Bella. I only want to spend time with you. That’s all I’m asking for.”

“Why?”, Bella asks, slight aggression in her voice.

Tanya felt like she had been burned in that moment with Bella’s tone. She couldn’t understand why Bella was acting this way. They are mates and yet, right when she feels close to Bella, she pulls away.

“I care about you, Bella. I won’t lie, I do want to be with you. I want to date you and hopefully you will become my girlfriend. Maybe even more. But I’m also am okay with being friends. Please don’t pull away from me.”

Tanya lost her resolve and her last words were covered with desperation. It hit Bella like a train and all she wanted to do was hug Tanya and apologize. Searching Tanya’s eyes, she saw her hopelessness and heartbreak. Bella could tell that Tanya was being honest and she did care about her, even though Bella does not know why. Closing her eyes tightly, Bella opened them again making a decision. She wanted Tanya in her life and will just have to figure it out from here.

“I won’t pull away anymore. I care about you too.”

Tanya smiles widely and takes a step forward to try and hug Bella. At first Bella hesitates, but then accepts the hug. At this moment, she felt…home. She felt peace, love, and like every bad thought, every worry about Tanya was wiped away. Pulling back from the hug, they start to walk side by side back to Henry’s table. Passing a flyer on an aisle wall, Tanya stops and looks at it.

“What is this for?”

Along all of the aisle walls were multi-colored posters promoting a school function.

“It’s a charity event for Henry’s school. Open to the whole community. There’s games and food. Like a mini-carnival.”

“Want to go together, as friends of course?”

“I’m going already as a volunteer. Henry begged me to help run a booth, but you can meet me there. We don’t have to hang out as friends though.”

Tanya grins as Bella mumbles the last part, but chooses not to clarify. Why question the best thing she’s heard all day?

“Great! I’ll see you then”, Tanya says as her and Bella reach Henry’s table.

Bella spots Kate and Garrett. They are both laughing and reading the comic book with Henry. Tanya introduces Bella to Garrett. Garrett is instantly friendly and it is clear Kate is more relaxed and actually enjoying the moment. They purchase a few books and say their goodbyes, leaving Bella and Henry in the store.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to say thank you for reading, kudos, and comments. I hope you all are enjoying the story so far and excited for what's to come.

After seeing each other in the bookstore, Bella and Tanya talked every day. The conversations were small and simple, yet held more meaning than they did before. Every single phone call ended with a minute or two of absorbing the silence. On the night of the carnival, Bella sits at a ‘make your own caramel apple' booth, while Henry walks around with his classmates. Families sit at small tables around the booth covering their apples with caramel, chocolate, and other sweet goodies. Tanya walks up to the booth, watching Bella hand a ready-made apple to a little girl.

“Bella!”, Tanya says, now at the front of the line.

Bella faces her and smiles. While they had been talking on the phone, she didn’t realize how much she wanted to see Tanya in person. Bella leaves the booth on her break and another volunteer takes over. Tanya and Bella start walking toward the dunk tank booth. This time when Tanya’s hand grazes her own, Bella does not pull away. Instead she continues to let their fingers touch each other, neither of them taking it further.

“Are you here by yourself?”, Bella asks.

“No. Kate and Garrett are here and the family friends I was telling you about, Carmen and Eleazar.”

“No Irina?”

“No, her and her boyfriend, Laurent, are out of town.”

Bella freezes briefly before relaxing. _Laurent_. _Victoria’s Laurent? He’s a part of Tanya’s coven?_

“How did they meet?”

“Laurent was passing through this area a few years ago, and him and Irina crossed paths. Kate was traveling abroad when she met Garrett.”

“So you’re the only one that’s single?”

“She is, but hopefully not for long”, Kate says, walking up to them.

Bella stands awkwardly under Kate’s pushing glance.

“Tanya, Eleazar wanted to talk to you about something”, Kate says.

Tanya nods and turns to Bella, not wanting to walk away.

“I’ll find you later?”, Tanya asks.

“Yeah, I’ll probably be at my booth.”

Tanya walks away and Kate takes her place, walking with Bella.

“Where’s Henry?”, Kate asks, stopping at a dart throwing game.

“Hanging out with one of his classmates. These events are more parents and volunteers doing the work than the kids.”

“He’s a nice kid. His opinions on vampires are very insightful”, Kate chuckles out, as she plays to win a stuffed animal.

“Yeah, he’s really into those supernatural books. If it has a power, he will want to read it.”

“And what do you think about vampires?”, Kate asks, throwing a dart at a balloon.

What did Bella think about vampires? At first, she found Edward and his family fascinating and friendly. Then with Victoria and James, Bella knew that vampires truly did have a dark side. When the Cullens left, it proved how easily vampires could manipulate and leave humans. Perhaps after centuries of living, one becomes unaware how hurtful it is to do that. But with Tanya and her family, it had the friendliness of the Cullens, but Bella felt more as well. From Tanya at least. She didn’t know if Tanya was just older and more experienced or if that is her personality.

“I think they’re okay. My opinion of them changes every day.”

“I see. I’m sorry if I come off as too harsh, but what are you doing?”

“What do you mean?”, Bella asks confused, watching the volunteer hand Kate a stuffed tiger.

“With Tanya. I get wanting to be friends or taking it slow, but ultimately she does not want that. I don’t want my sister’s heart getting broken. Is how you’re going about this a starting point, or are you just dragging her along?”

It surprised Bella how protective Kate was being, like it really mattered in the long run what Bella did.

“To be honest…I don’t know. I’ve dated, but haven’t tried to have a serious relationship in a long time. And that’s what Tanya wants with me. I like Tanya, I just don’t want my heart broken again”, Bella says, feeling a tear forming in her eye.

Bella couldn’t believe she was about to cry. She may not have wanted Edward anymore and moved on from him, but her heart was still healing from investing and really caring about someone, only to be abandoned. She didn’t think Tanya would do that, but how long would their relationship really last? Kate faces Bella, understanding in her eyes.

“Exes can be a real pain, but Tanya would never break your heart. All she wants is to love you… _in more ways you can imagine_ ”, Kate says, lighting up her tone at the end.

Kate’s last few words had sexual undertones. Bella recognized it, but fought to push the blush aside as Tanya walks up to Kate.

“I think that’s enough”, Tanya says.

Kate smirks and hands Bella the stuffed tiger. She places her hand on Bella’s arm.

“Just looking out. Think about what I said Bella. You don’t want any trouble with me”, Kate states.

Her hand stays on Bella’s arm. Kate seems to be concentrating and her face becomes more confused as the minute goes on. Tanya eyes darken slightly and a small growl escapes her lips. Kate pulls her hand back and whispers something to Tanya, but it’s so low, Bella can’t hear it. Kate says goodbye and walks toward Garrett who is waiting for her by the photo booth. Bella wanted to know what happened, but didn’t bother asking. It wasn’t the first time she was around vampires and excluded from the conversation.

“What did Eleazar want?”, Bella asks, sitting at an empty table.

“Nothing really. He was giving me an update on Irina. We hadn’t heard from her and that doesn’t usually happen, so he was letting me know she checked in”, Tanya says, sitting next to her.

“It’s good that you know she’s okay.”

“Bella, do you really think I’d break your heart?”, Tanya asks, changing the topic.

“I don’t know. I was hurt before.”

“What happened?”, Tanya asks.

Looking into her eyes, Bella could tell Tanya was upset, and she was. She wasn’t upset at Bella, but upset that Bella had been hurt, angry that someone had hurt her.

“My ex-boyfriend… he made me believe we’d be together forever, and then he broke up with me. Then he left town, so I didn’t have a chance to try and change his mind. It happened so fast, it was too much at once.”

Tanya places her hand on Bella’s. They lock eyes, Tanya’s showing an distinct seriousness.

“I’ll say it as many times as I have to. I won’t ever hurt you, at least not on purpose.”

The words were simple, yet they said so much. Bella nods and gives a small smile. She returns to her booth and continues to hand out caramel apples. Tanya spends the next hour or so hanging out at the different booths near Bella’s section. Bella’s shift ends and she starts to pack up as another volunteer takes over for the final few hours. Henry runs over with a bag of candy and a mini-game kit.

“Where did you get that?”, Bella asks, grabbing her purse.

“Tanya’s friend, Carmen, won it for me”, Henry says, taking a gummy candy out of the bag.

“Not too much candy tonight. Can’t have you up all night. Are you ready to go?”

Henry nods and waves goodbye to a passing classmate. Fin approaches and Bella can instantly tell he’s a man on a mission.

“You’re not heading out are you?”, Fin asks, knowing the answer.

“Yes. I’m tired and my shift is over.”

“Any chance I can get you to take over my shift and clean up my booth? I went into this alone and it’s exhausting trying to sell books all day.”

“You sell books every day.”

“That’s true, but it’s so different at a carnival. I have to convince people to buy. At my store, I usually just sit there and let them do their thing.”

“Henry wants to go home.”

“I’ll take him back to your place and use my spare key to get in. This is a win-win Bella. I get to watch television and chill out while you get to spend more time with you know who”, Fin states, looking over at Tanya.

Bella knows Fin is right. It is a win-win situation. She rolls her eyes and agrees. Fin does a fist pump and takes Henry home. Bella walks over to Fin’s booth, fixing the display area. Tanya comes up to the booth, placing another book on the display.

“Figured I’d help you out”, Tanya says.

“You can. Fin does not care who runs the booth, as long as it’s not him”, Bella says laughing.

Tanya helps Bella sell a few more book and clean up when the carnival ends. Tanya walks Bella to her truck.

“Thanks for you help”, Bella says, getting into the driver’s seat.

“Any time. Talk to you tomorrow?”

“Yes, I will call you tomorrow.”

She tries to start the truck, but it won’t. On the sixth try, she sighs defeated.

“I’ll call a tow truck and give you a ride home”, Tanya says, taking out her phone.

“What about your family?”

“We drove separately and they scattered a while ago.”

The tow truck comes and Bella gets in Tanya’s car. Shivering lightly in her seat, Tanya immediately turns on the heat.

“We need to go to the Burger Café first”, Bella says, putting her hands toward the vents.

“Okay, any reason why?”, Tanya asks, turning onto the main road.

“I promised Fin that I would get him a burger for babysitting Henry when we hung out before. He’s always been a good friend.”

Bella didn’t know why she felt the need to point out that Fin was just a friend. It was probably clear to Tanya that he already was. As Tanya drove to the café, Bella just stared at her. She was not nervous around Tanya and surprised herself how much see was enjoying her company. It was like a weight was lifted off her shoulders when she started to live in the moment. Entering the café, Troy spots them and grins widely. _Oh no_ , Bella thinks as Troy approaches them.

“Table for two?”, he asks, looking at Tanya.

“No, to-go”, Bella states.

“To-go, got it. Where are you two coming from?”

“The carnival”, Bella says, hoping Troy does not inquire further.

“Oh yeah. Did you have fun?”

“Yep, just selling apples and books”, Bella says with a slight glare.

Troy is picking up on all her signals but ignores them as he takes the to-go order.

“Don’t you have tables?”, Bella asks.

“I’m supposed to be on break, but I’ll take your order. That way you can head to your next spot. Where is that exactly?”, Troy says.

“Bella’s home. Her car wouldn’t start and I’m giving her a ride”, Tanya responds, recognizing Bella’s annoyance.

Troy nods and goes silent, finishing the order. He walks away to go on break, allowing another person to take over to-go orders. Walking down the hallway of her apartment after getting the burger, Bella finds herself getting nervous. She implied that her and Tanya’s time at the carnival was not just as friends, but what was it? Was it a date? If so, how is this night supposed to end? Should she try to see Tanya again? So many questions barreled through her mind, but were quieted instantly when Tanya brushed her hand with hers. They lock eyes, Tanya silently asking if she can hold it. Bella puts her hand in Tanya’s, interlocking their fingers as they walk down the hallway. In this moment, Bella felt more safe than she’d ever imagined. She never wanted to let go of Tanya’s hand.

“So after tonight, does this mean we can go on a real, official date? One where you don’t have to cook your meal or do any work at all?” Tanya asks, hope in her eyes.

Bella stops at her door silently. She wants another date, but she’s still not clear why Tanya wants to date her. Why she cares about her.Thinking back to what Edward said about the Denali coven, they almost pride themselves on having multiple lovers. Kate implied that Tanya wants Bella in multiple ways. Is that what Tanya wants with her? Sex? Just the thought of that makes Bella’s cheeks go crimson red. Tanya looks at her with uncertainty.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine”, Bella answers, forcing the blush to go down.

They stare at each other for a moment, enjoying the silence. Tanya cups Bella’s cheek gently with her other hand, leaning closer. Bella closes her eyes and her breath hitches when she feels Tanya’s lips brush hers as if asking permission. Bella closes the gap, feeling Tanya’s soft lips against hers. The kiss is light, but Bella felt more in this one kiss than with Edward and every other person she’d been with after. Right when Tanya moves to deepen the kiss, the door flies open to show Fin grinning and ready to greet Bella. His smile falls, realizing what he’s interrupted. Tanya and Bella pull away awkwardly and face him.

“My bad. I thought I heard you out here.”

Bella releases Tanya’s hand and gives him the burger. Fin gives her a big hug. He smells the burger container, relishing in the scent. His wife wants him to manage his health better and to her it means reducing the amount of red meat he has.

“Bella Swan, if I wasn’t already happily married, I would marry you just to get more of these burgers.”

Tanya freezes. Realization crosses her face as if she’d had an answer to something she had been pondering. As if she’d put everything together. Fin says goodbye and walks down the hall to the elevator. Turning to Tanya, Bella sees that she hasn’t moved and looks conflicted.

“I had fun tonight”, Bella says, taking Tanya out of her trance.

“Me too”, Tanya says.

Her voice had warmth, but you could tell she wasn’t mentally there.

“I’ll call you?”, Bella says, walking into her apartment.

Tanya looks at her. She has so many questions, but does not want to ruin the night. Instead she nods and says goodbye. Bella closes her door and leans against it. With all the fun she had tonight, only one thought was pushed to the front of her mind. _Tanya knows._


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to say thank you for reading, kudos, and comments :). I'm glad you all are enjoying the story so far and excited for what's coming up.

Tanya chose not to go straight home that night. Instead, she went into the woods and ran until she reached a clearing near a small body of water. Taking out her phone, she sends a text and waits. After a few minutes, a woman comes through the trees and stands next to her. Tanya faces her, an unsure look on her face.

“Thank you for coming, Carmen.”

“Of course. What’s going on?”

“I think Bella is the girl the Cullens were talking about before. The human who Edward had a thing with.”

The idea of Bella and Edward in any intimate capacity made Tanya disgusted, but she managed to put it aside and focus on Carmen’s response.

“Could be. That would explain her behavior towards you. If she already knows about vampires, it would make sense why she has been wary of connecting, even with the mate bond.”

“You think they told her about vampires?”

“Maybe. The Cullens do their own thing without thinking about the consequences sometimes.”

“What should I do? I have so many questions.”

“Talk to her. I heard you tell Kate this is going to be harder than you thought. Take it one step at a time.”

“Thank you, Carmen. Just needed to clear my head. I would have talked to Kate about it, but something tells me she would confront Bella herself”, Tanya chuckles.

“Any time”, Carmen says, hugging Tanya.

* * *

Bella sits on the sofa, but the TV is off. She’s not sure how to handle things with Tanya now. She still likes her, cares about her, but the days of pretending she didn’t know about her being a vampire are over. She no longer had the privilege of walking away whenever she chose, and something told her Tanya would not walk away from her like Edward did. _Does Tanya know the Cullens revealed they were vampires to me? Would I have to become a vampire? Would Tanya kill me?_ Those questions streamed through Bella’s mind. Tanya said she’d never hurt her. Bella almost believes it. She pushes aside that hope and plans start running through her mind on how to leave town. She knows Tanya is fully capable of tracking her, but it’s worth a try. But what about Henry? Leona still isn’t back and she can’t just take Henry anywhere. She’s stuck. While Tanya might not hurt her, what about her coven? Just because they are united under the same house does not mean they have the same feelings and mindset about humans knowing their secret.

Bella fell asleep on the sofa and a nightmare about Tanya entered her mind. She dreamed that her and Henry were running away and Tanya found them. What was kindness, turned out to be a front and Tanya turned her into a vampire. Then Bella turned Henry. Bella woke up in a pool of sweat and a racing heartbeat. Feeling a small blanket on her upper torso, Bella looks up to see Henry.

“You looked cold. Are you okay?”

“Just a nightmare”, Bella says, sitting up.

“I’ve been thinking about it.”

“Thinking about what?”

“I want to go camping for my birthday, but I also want a party if that’s okay.”

“Sure. We can have one here.”

“Kate said we could use her house since it’s bigger. I want Kate and Garrett to come. Carmen and Tanya too.”

Bella was so caught up from the nightmare, she couldn’t really grasp what Henry was saying.

“We’ll talk about it tomorrow. Go to bed”, Bella says, giving into fatigue and falling back on the sofa.

* * *

Bella didn’t hear from Tanya until a few days later, and when she did, it was a simple text message.

_Tanya: We need to talk._

_Bella: About what?_

_Tanya: You know what Bella._

Bella felt her heart drop. She can’t avoid the inevitable. They agreed that Tanya would come over tomorrow. Henry is going to a sleepover tonight and would be spending the majority of the day with his friend tomorrow. Her phone buzzes with another message. Checking it, she is surprised to see it isn’t Tanya.

_Leona: I can’t come for Henry’s birthday, but I will be there a few weeks after. I already bought my ticket._

Bella releases the breath of relief she didn’t realize was in her. She needed to figure things out with Tanya, and knowing Leona was coming meant Henry would be taken care of. At least temporarily.

_Bella: Is it safe? Are you safe?_

_Leona: I will be when I come. I’m getting out Bella. I promise. How is Henry?_

_Bella: He’s okay. He misses you. Should I tell Henry you are coming?_

After waiting for almost fifteen minutes, Bella realizes Leona is not going to respond. She decides not to tell him, in case something changes at the last minute. Henry opens the door and walks in with his backpack.

“Are you ready yet?”

“Yeah, let’s go”, Bella says.

After dropping Henry off at his friend’s house in a rental car, Bella calls in sick to work. She picks up some coffees and drives to Book Sweet. Walking inside, she places a coffee on the counter in front of Fin.

“Bella! Pleasant surprise. Don’t you have work today?”

“I did. Took off sick.”

“You haven’t done that since the first time Leona left. What’s on your mind?”

“There’s a lot”, Bella warned.

Fin nods in understanding and goes to the door. He flips over the sign to ‘closed’ and walks back over to Bella. Bella started to tell him everything…well as much as she could. She told him how Tanya reminded her of her ex and how she recently found out they were related, not by blood, but a familial friendship. She told him her fears of having her heart broken and Tanya dragging her back into the very thing she had escaped four years ago. Fin listened attentively, never once saying a word. He simply absorbed all the information Bella gave, sometimes making facial expressions as if he were reading a good novel. By the time Bella finished talking, both of their coffees were finished. Fin picks up their empty coffee cups and puts them in a trashcan underneath the counter. After about two minutes of silence, Bella looks at him, almost in anger.

“Can you say something?”

Fin takes a deep breath and pauses, getting his thoughts in order.

“Let me ask you a few questions, okay?”

Bella nods. She felt like she told him everything. What more does he want to know?

“Other than the fact that they know each other, run in the same crowd, what makes Tanya and Edward the same?”

_They’re both vampires_ , Bella thinks. But aside from that, she didn’t know. If anything, they were quite different. Bella has not interacted with Tanya more than Edward, but from what she has seen, Tanya is very different. There was an innate selfishness Edward had that was disguised as selflessness. Tanya has done nothing but give over and over again. She’s been considerate multiple times, not asking for much in return. She didn’t poke and prod in Bella’s business, even when she suspected that Bella may have been hiding something. She didn’t try to provoke fear or make Bella question being around her in the first place. Tanya shared information freely, while Edward carefully decided what she should know and what she should not. Even in their kiss, Tanya wasn’t afraid. She was all in. They are very different.

“Glad I got you thinking. People are drawn to each other in multiple ways, but they are still different people, with their own morals and ethics. I don’t know what you meant by Tanya potentially dragging you back into what you got away from before, but if that’s a concern, you should take that up with her.”

Bella knew he was right. She needed to be honest with Tanya.

“One last thing to think about. Are you more worried about going back to the same thing and having the same result of being left behind or going back to the same thing in general? You said you loved Edward. Is it experiencing this love at all or being loved and left?”

That question really made Bella think. Yes, she did once love Edward. She wanted a future with him, with his family. She realized, that she was more afraid of Tanya leaving her than loving her and being with a vampire. But, she also knew she didn’t want to become a vampire. That desire disappeared over the years. The idea of becoming a vampire to be with Tanya and give up her life as a human, wasn’t something she was open to right now. There would have to be some guarantee that Tanya wouldn’t leave her, and she didn’t have that. Kate pointed out Bella’s effect on Tanya. In a way that proved it wasn’t just a cat and mouse game, but Bella needed more assurance. Who wants to be a vampire living alone? Who wants to change their life dramatically, only to be left behind?

Bella thanks Fin for his “advice” and drives back to her apartment. As she passes the building front to turn into the garage, she sees Jacob sitting on the steps of the apartment entrance. She parks and walks back outside to greet Jacob.

“Jacob, what are you doing here?”, Bella asks.

She didn’t ask him to come. Is something wrong? Is Charlie okay?

“Everything is fine back home. I came to check on you”, Jacob says, sensing her panic.

Bella sighs in relief and they make their way up to her apartment. Once inside, Bella turns to him, angrily.

“I thought we agreed you didn’t have to check on me.”

“You didn’t update me on the vampire situation. That told me something was up. What’s happened, Bella?”

“Nothing!”, Bella says defensively.

“Bella…”, Jacob says, seeing right through her.

Bella told Jacob about Tanya and her coven. She even told him about how Tanya has been pursuing her romantically. Jacob’s face was serious the entire time, wavering once to anger.

“Bella, don’t you see? It’s just like Edward. They play nice, but they’re pretending. You can’t fall for this again.”

“I don’t think that’s true, Jacob. Tanya cares about me.”

“How do you know that Bella? You can’t believe something just because she says it.”

Bella didn’t know how. She couldn’t explain it. She knew in her heart that Tanya wasn’t like Edward. She has been questioning this whole time, and in this moment with Jacob, she wants to defend Tanya’s actions with every fiber of her being.

“I just know Jacob. Trust me.”

Jacob looks at Bella with what could only be described as sympathy. He hugs her.

“I will trust you, but I’m going to stay here a while. Let me see for myself.”

Bella nods as they pull away from the hug.

“Tanya is coming over today to talk. I want to talk to her alone.”

“Fine, but I’ll stay close.”

Bella gives Jacob a spare key so he can get back into the apartment if Bella goes out again. Jacob leaves and Bella settles down in her room. She closes her eyes, embracing this moment and trying to collect herself. A knock sounds on her front door. Opening it, Tanya stands there confidently. Bella steps aside to let her in, closing the door behind her for what she knows is going to be an interesting conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is the conversation. What do you think Tanya will say?


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for comments, kudos, and reading in the first place. Let's get on with "the conversation" shall we?

After entering Bella’s apartment, Tanya immediately tenses, her eyes darkening. Her eyes frantically search the apartment.

“What’s wrong?”, Bella asks.

Bella wasn’t scared of Tanya, but couldn’t figure out what was going on with her. There is no one else in the apartment.

“There’s a smell. I don’t think they’re here now, but they were.”

“I don’t smell anything. Is it a vampire?”, Bella says, her heart quickening.

 _Crap. Now she knows you know about vampires_ , Bella thinks. Was there a vampire in the apartment at some point and Bella didn’t know?

“No, it’s foul. Like some kind of animal. It’s fresh. Whatever it was, it was just here.”

Jacob was the only person who came to Bella’s mind. He told her that shifters and vampires are enemies and they can’t stand the sight of each other, much less the smell.

“I don’t think it’s anything to worry about”, Bella states calmly.

“And why is that?”, Tanya asks curiously.

“I think I know what it is, but I’m not going to discuss it. You came here for something else. I’ll open the windows if that will help?”

Tanya wants to argue, but recognizes that it’s a topic for a later time. Instead she nods and Bella moves to open some of the windows in the apartment. Stopping at her bedroom door, Bella feels nervous. Tanya has never seen her room.

“Is something wrong?”, Tanya asks, still on alert.

“No!”, Bella rushes out and faces Tanya.

“It’s just… I realized you’ve never seen my room before”, Bella mumbles.

She knows Tanya heard her, but it’s too late to take it back now. Tanya smiles and chuckles. It broke whatever tension Bella was feeling. Bella walks into her room and opens the window, a cool breeze filling the room. Tanya follows her and looks around. Her face is inexpressive. Bella wants to know what she thinks, but decides not to ask. Bella sits on her bed and moves to rest her back against the wall. Tanya sits down at her desk chair, glancing at the computer.

“You’re writing about vampires?”

“Just a school assignment. Nothing serious. Nothing _true_.”

While the moment was a bit awkward, Bella wasn’t nervous at all. Tanya’s eyes are relaxed. At the end of the day, this is a conversation with her mate. There’s no need to be aggressive.

“You know I’m a vampire”, Tanya states.

It wasn’t a question, but Bella felt like she should treat it like one.

“Yes.”

“Are you the same Bella Swan who dated Edward in Forks?”

Bella considered lying, but she felt it was useless at this point.

“Yes I am.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”, Tanya asks.

Her voice is laced with disappointment, as if Bella had been lying the whole time.

“I wasn’t sure if you knew them. When I realized that not only you did, but that you also saw them as family…”, Bella trails off.

“We’re family by our diet choices, not our values. What Edward did was unacceptable, in more ways than one.”

“Looking back, he did the right thing. Not in the right way, but leaving me. I’ve been able to have a normal life.”

“You weren’t supposed to know. At least not then”, Tanya says.

The last sentence was mumbled so low, Bella didn’t catch it. _You weren’t supposed to know_. With those words, Bella felt fear rise within her. Edward had told her what happens when humans know about their existence. The Cullens left her alone, but she doesn’t think Tanya will.

“It’s been four years, and I haven’t told anyone”, Bella says, panic rising in her voice.

“I understand that you have made it quite a while without any trouble. However, unlike the Cullens, my coven does not like to take risks”, Tanya says.

 _They don’t like to take risks_ , Bella thinks. She knows that it’s death at this point. Either by being turned or being killed.

“Henry does not know anything. Don’t hurt him”, Bella says firmly.

“I wouldn’t dream of hurting him. Or you.”

Sensing her panic, Tanya reaches toward Bella, but retracts her hand in hesitation. Her eyes are soft and focused.

“Don’t worry so much Bella. What happens next is my problem, not yours. Whatever you’re thinking, it won’t be that way”, Tanya says.

Bella felt a little relief. She wants to believe they are different. That Tanya is different. But Tanya also acknowledged that Bella knowing about their existence is a problem. One she will be dealing with it.

“I don’t want to be a vampire. Not anymore.”

Tanya’s face reflected both understanding and hurt, as if Bella had crushed a secret hope of hers.

“Please, let me stay human”, Bella begs.

“It’s not that simple.”

“It is that simple”, Jacob says firmly, walking into the room.

“Jacob, what are you doing back?”

Tanya looks surprised. She’d let her guard down to soothe Bella. How could she not have noticed Jacob enter the apartment? Bella and Tanya stand up. Jacob walks over to Bella.

“You’re what I smelt earlier”, Tanya states, watching Bella’s response to Jacob.

“You don’t smell like roses yourself”, Jacob says, voice on edge.

“Jacob’s my friend. He was there for me when the Cullens weren’t.”

“I guess I should thank you then, but you’re no longer needed.”

“No longer needed!? What is that supposed to mean?”, Jacob asks, taking a step toward Tanya.

His body is shaking slightly. Bella places her hand on his arm, attempting to calm him.

“If I kill you, I’ll be hurting both of us. What I mean is, I’ll be there for Bella now. You don’t have to worry as much”, Tanya says.

“Bella, she can’t be trusted. You heard what she said. She won’t let you stay human.”

“You don’t make those decisions. I think I’ve proven myself enough at this point to be trusted.”

“You and Edward are the same. Just using humans and throwing them away like garbage. You should leave and stay away from Bella.”

Bella felt hurt by Jacob’s words. She was thrown away like garbage, but she didn’t want that word associated with her. Tanya released a fierce growl. How dare he say her and Edward are the same? She wanted to lash out at Jacob for making assumptions, but all she really noticed was Bella’s response to his words. Through their bond, she felt heartbreak.

“I will leave if Bella wants me to.”

Bella felt like things were going too far. She knows Jacob is just trying to look out for her, but Tanya is not like Edward. She told him that.

“You don’t have to leave. Jacob, she isn’t anything like Edward”, Bella says, stepping between them.

“Bella---“, Jacob starts.

“Jacob, I’ve got this. It’s not like before. I can handle myself now. I need you to leave.”

Jacob opens his mouth to argue, but stops when Bella shakes her head. He leaves the apartment, leaving Tanya and Bella alone again.

“What now?”, Bella asks, facing Tanya.

“I understand you wanting to stay human, but there’s some things you should know. Things that explain why you can’t stay human and why I honestly don’t want you to.”

“Can’t you just treat me like your other lovers and move on?”

Bella couldn’t believe she asked that question. Her tone was accusatory and came off cruel as if she was shaming Tanya. She didn’t want to be like the others, but maybe that’s what has to happen. Tanya reaches forward and cups Bella’s cheek, bringing their faces together.

“You’re not like them. Don’t ever think that. Caring about you isn’t just for the moment”, Tanya whispers.

“I know, sorry. I can’t imagine being a vampire right now”, Bella whispers back.

“You don’t have to make that choice right now.”

She’d built a good life for herself. Giving that up…the idea of that crushed her. Tanya is trying to give her time. Bella kisses her. It’s tender and Tanya knew it was her way of saying thank you. She may not know when she will have to become a vampire, but at least she knows it’s not now.

“So, tell me more about what happened with Edward and the Cullens. That way I know the full story”, Tanya says, taking a step back.

Bella told her everything. About how she met Edward in biology, how Edward saved from being crushed by Tyler’s van, being brought into the Cullen’s world, and their face off with James. Hearing Laurent’s name in the mix surprised Tanya, but she told Bella that Laurent was not around anymore and left their coven. Bella finished the story, telling how Edward dumped her and left her alone in the forest, and how Jacob and the others at La Push helped her. A range of emotions crossed Tanya’s face from rage to happiness. She may not like Jacob, but she was glad someone was there for Bella.

They spent the rest of the night relaxing. They didn’t talk about vampires or shifters anymore. Tanya chose to push the reasons why Bella had to change to a later conversation. It was a peaceful silence, with Bella’s head on Tanya’s chest as they lied in her bed. Jacob texted Bella a few hours after leaving to find out if he could come back. Have a place to stay. Bella agreed, as long as he didn’t try to fight Tanya. Bella lifts herself off of Tanya and gets out of the bed.

“Jacob is coming back. Perhaps you shouldn’t be here when he does.”

“Thank you for defending me”, Tanya says, standing up.

“You made it easy. You were right. You have proven you’re different than Edward.”

Bella and Tanya walk to the front door of the apartment. Bella was glad they talked and there were no longer any secrets between them.

“You want to come over to my house next week? See my room”, Tanya teases.

Bella blushes lightly.

“I wanted to talk to you about that. Henry’s birthday is next week and I guess Kate told him there could be a party at your house.”

“She did mention that as a possibility. Is that what you want?”

“If you’re open to it. I guess he wanted all of you there and felt like this apartment was too small.”

“Then we can work on it together. Give him a small party.”

“Sounds good.”

Tanya kisses Bella and leaves. Walking down the hallway, she sees Jacob. They stop next to each other.

“I’m sorry for how I was earlier. Bella told me about you. Maybe I just didn’t want to believe it”, Jacob says, looking down the hallway.

“I understand. You were trying to protect her, as you have been. Both of us can protect Bella from now on.”

Jacob nods and continues to walk down the hallway toward Bella’s apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback always appreciated :)


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, kudos, and comments! :)

Bella decided to check out Tanya’s house before Henry’s party. After picking Henry up from school, she's leaving him with Jacob to babysit. That of course meant less homework and more games, but she would make sure he finished his work later. Henry and Jacob bonded instantly, as Henry does with most people.

“Where are you going again?”, Henry asks, pushing buttons rapidly on his video game controller.

“I’m going to Tanya’s house, so I can see if it’s a good space for your party.”

Jacob is playing against Henry, but doesn’t react when Bella says she’s going to Tanya’s house. He told Bella they had reached an agreement, and he would give her a chance. Plus, Henry sings Tanya and her family’s praises. Jacob was surprised they even bothered with Henry in the first place.

“Tell everyone I said hi”, Henry says, defeating Jacob.

“I will. See you later.”

Bella exits the apartment, leaving Jacob and Henry to fend for themselves. Jacob stands up and goes into the kitchen. Opening the fridge, he sifts through the items on the shelves.

“What do you want for dinner?”

“PB&J. I think there’s carrots in the fridge too. Make it look like we’re healthy.”

Jacob nods, placing four slices of bread in the toaster.

“So you want to have your party at Tanya’s house?”

“Yep. You can come too. I’m sure she won’t mind.”

“I’ll definitely come. Are Bella and Tanya close?”

Jacob knew it wasn’t appropriate to ask Henry about Bella and Tanya’s relationship, but he couldn’t help it. He wanted to know what others thought. If things are how Bella sees them. Henry pauses the game, letting the controller rest in his hands.

“I guess so. Bella’s always smiling when she’s talking to her. I think it’s nice for Bella to have someone. She only hangs out with me and Fin, and he’s married. She should be happy.”

Jacob was surprised. Did Henry know that Bella and Tanya were more than friends?

“And how does Tanya seem around Bella?”

“She’s happy too. Happier really. You should see the faces she makes when Bella isn’t looking.”

“Does Tanya come over here a lot?”

“I’ve never seen her over here.”

“Then how do you know how Tanya feels?”

“I saw them together at my school’s carnival. I’m almost 8 years old. I might not know what love is, but I can see when two people like each other.”

Jacob nods and finishes making the sandwiches. Handing one on a plate to Henry, they start eating immediately.

“And what about you? Do you like anyone?”, Jacob asks, trying to lighten the mood.

Henry looks back at the TV. He puts his plate down and starts the game back up. A light blush stains his cheeks.

“You do! Who is it?”

“None of your business. Just eat your sandwich”, Henry says.

* * *

Bella pulls into the long driveway of Tanya’s house. Getting out of the car, she stares in amazement. The place is huge and modern. Tanya was right when she said it was in a private area. The drive alone was quiet and it is the perfect spot for people who want a nature view. Bella didn’t even make it five feet from her car before Tanya comes outside and swiftly moves to her. Tanya wraps her arms around Bella’s waist, pulling her close. Bella kisses Tanya, touching her neck lightly. Tanya pulls back from the kiss, surprising Bella.

“They’re waiting for us inside. Apparently we’re taking too long”, Tanya says, placing her hand in Bella’s.

Bella frowns and rolls her eyes. She can guess who feels that way. Making their way inside, it’s just as beautiful as the outside. Elegant wooden panels with sleek glass windows and an incredible collection of books. Bella is so caught up in the house, she does not notice the other members of Tanya’s coven.

“I don’t know if she’s drooling more over this house or you Tanya”, Kate says, laughing on the sofa.

The sound of Kate’s laugh and chuckles in the room take Bella out of her trance. She sends Kate a playful glare before looking around the room. Kate and Garrett are cuddled up on the sofa, while Eleazar is reading a book by the fireplace. Eleazar approaches Bella, extending his hand.

“It’s nice to finally meet you Bella. I’ve heard so much, it’s good to put a face to the name.”

“It’s nice to meet you too, Eleazar.”

He smiles and observes Bella with interest and excitement.

“Bella I’m curious, was Edward able to read your thoughts?”, he asks as if he already knew the answer.

“No, why?”

“You’re a mental shield. That’s an amazing ability, though I’m sure very frustrating for him.”

Bella is somewhat surprised. It is nice to finally have a reason for why Edward couldn’t read her mind. It is interesting how humans can have abilities too, and ones that even vampires can’t get past.

“You can tell what abilities people have?”

“Yes. Your mental shield can’t get past me.”

“I’d like to test these shield abilities. If you don’t mind, Bella?”, Kate says.

“I think you’ve tested it enough”, Tanya says, sternly.

“I think it’s a worthy experiment Tanya”, Eleazar says.

“What do you want to do?”, Bella asks.

Tanya implied that Kate had already tested her ability on Bella, but when? Bella thinks back to when she first met Kate. The blue electricity crosses her mind and then at the carnival, when Kate put her hand on Bella’s arm, it was as if she was trying to do something. More than a simple warning.

“Nothing lethal. My ability is electric. I can shock someone by touching them. Even spread it all over my body. I just want to try again.”

“Okay”, Bella says.

She figured that if it didn’t work the first time, why would it work now? Tanya looks concerned, but Bella reassures her. Kate grabs Bella’s hand and concentrates. At first, Bella didn’t feel anything. Then she felt a light tingling, a sting, and finally she jerked her hand out of Kate’s, wincing in pain. Tanya’s eyes darken quickly and she growls angrily at Kate.

“Wow, that was almost full power”, Kate says, impressed by Bella’s ability and ignoring Tanya’s reaction.

“Are you in pain?”, Tanya asks.

She holds Bella’s hand and it soothes the pain she felt. It wasn’t enough to make Bella cry, but it was painful, as if someone had slammed her hand in a door.

“I’m okay. Where’s Carmen?”

“Getting things for Henry’s party. I trust he’s looking for presents as well?”, Garrett asks.

“A simple party is fine. I already bought his presents”, Bella responds, smiling.

They nod, but Bella can tell they will buy Henry something anyway. Tanya interlinks her fingers with Bella’s.

“Do you want a tour of the house?”, Tanya asks, wanting some alone time.

“Sure.”

Tanya and Bella walk upstairs while everyone else continues their usual activities. Moving down the hallway, Tanya points out the various rooms. The hallway walls have various nature paintings. Maybe that’s what they collect instead of graduation caps like the Cullens.

“And this is Irina and Maddox’s room”, Tanya says, angling her hand toward one of the last doors.

“Maddox?”

“Yes, he’s new to our coven. While Irina and Laurent were traveling, they met Maddox. Then Irina and him got together. That’s why Laurent isn’t here.”

“I guess vampires date each other too?”

“On the rare occasion. Though Maddox will be Irina’s last partner.”

“She decided that fast?”

“Finding your mate can take a long time, but once you see them, the connection is fast and forever”, Tanya says, reaching the last door.

Bella wants to ask Tanya what a mate is and how they work, but stops herself seeing Tanya pause at the last door.

“Is something wrong?”, Bella asks.

“It’s just… I realized you’ve never seen my room before”, Tanya mocks.

Tanya faces Bella and laughs. Is she making fun of her from before?

“That’s not funny!”, Bella says, starting to laugh herself.

“I don’t get to laugh at you often, Bella. You have to let me have the moment when it’s there.”

Tanya opens the door and they walk into her room. It’s huge, with a king-sized bed in the center and a white patterned comforter. There is mirrored wall and sentimental objects Tanya collected over the centuries. Tanya closes the door behind them as Bella looks around.

“It’s not as good as my room”, Bella mumbles.

Tanya wraps her arms around Bella from behind and kisses her neck.

“Is that so? Well, you can add things to make it more our room.”

_Our room_. Bella couldn’t help but smile thinking about that. Maybe this was the sign she was looking for. Why share a space with a temporary partner? Bella turns in Tanya’s arms, facing her.

“What’s a mate? You made it sound like Maddox is Irina’s mate.”

“He is. A mate is an eternal partner for vampires. It’s kind of like…destiny. Vampires always meet their mate, it’s just a matter of time. Similar to what you humans call ‘the one’. Your emotions are tied to them, you don’t want anyone else, and they never leave each other. If one dies, ultimately the other dies. A mate is someone who completes you.”

_They never leave each other_. Bella knew that confirmed Edward and her aren’t mates. Even though he said he wanted to be with her forever, he left. Tanya’s definition of a mate makes it sound like that’s impossible.

“Are Kate and Garrett mates?”

“Yes. So are Carmen and Eleazar.”

Bella wondered if her and Tanya are mates. Is that what she wants? She decides not to ask, knowing the answer felt like a double-edged sword. If Tanya wasn’t her mate, then she would be temporary and ultimately be a lone vampire. If Tanya was her mate, then there would be an undesired pressure to turn sooner. Looking into Tanya’s eyes, Bella spots hope. _What does she want?_

Bella kisses her. Tanya deepens the kiss, pulling her closer. Bella falls back onto the bed gently, Tanya gripping her waist. Bella breaks the kiss, sliding toward the head of the bed. Tanya follows closely, her eyes a dark golden brown. She lightly kisses Bella’s neck, sucking on her collarbone. Bella touches Tanya’s cheeks, bringing her face in front of her. Tanya leans down to kiss Bella’s lips, then stops as if she’s listening to someone.

“Is something wrong?”, Bella asks, breathing heavy.

“Hopefully nothing serious. I need to go downstairs for a while”, Tanya says, removing herself from Bella.

“Should I wait here?”

“If you want. You can also come downstairs with me. Your choice.”

It was weird having a choice, but Bella liked it. She chose to pass, suspecting it’s vampire business and she doesn’t want to involve herself in that right now.

“I’ll wait here.”

Tanya leaves and Bella walks around the room, touching a few of the items lying around. On a side table sits a small, bronze ladybug paperweight. _That’s a weird thing to have,_ Bella thinks. Next to the statue are a set of papers. Bella’s eyes go wide as she looks through them. The bedroom door opens behind her, Tanya stepping inside.

“Irina and Maddox crossed paths with a vampire while they were hunting. He moved on once he found out this territory is ours. That doesn’t happen very often, but when it does, it’s good to handle it immediately.”

“Good”, Bella mumbles.

“Is everything okay?”, Tanya says, sensing Bella’s mood change.

Bella faces Tanya aggressively, holding up the papers.

“Why are you looking into Leona?”

Tanya’s face grows serious. She opens her mouth to speak, but Bella cuts her off.

“You said I had time!”, Bella yells, silencing all movement downstairs.

The only reason Bella could think of for why Tanya was looking into Leona was to bring her back, ending Bella’s responsibility for Henry. Then there wouldn’t be much else holding Bella back from becoming a vampire. When the thought first came to Bella’s mind, it seemed like a stretch, but at the same time it made sense.

“I just want to help bring her back. You said she’s in and out of Henry’s life. He doesn’t deserve that.”, Tanya says, trying to calm Bella down.

Bella forces herself to relax. Tanya is just trying to help.

“Did you find her?”

“Not yet. Do you know where she is?”

“No, but she’s coming back in a few weeks.”

“Indefinitely?”

“I…I don’t know.”

“Why is she gone all the time?”, Tanya asks.

“She’s been in and out of trouble her whole life. Right now, she’s involved with some bad people. People she grew up with. She knows how to leave, but for some reason, she keeps going back.”

“Is there anything we can do to help her?”

“I’ve offered her help. Even law enforcement help if she needs it. She wants to deal with it herself. I think she just doesn’t really know how to start over, even with Henry around. She’d rather have something reliable and difficult than live a life of the unknown.”

“There are people like that who struggle to leave even the worst situations, but while you care about Henry, you shouldn’t have to take care of him until he becomes an adult.”

“I know. I’ll talk to her again when she comes back. Sorry for blowing up at you.”

“I understand. She’s your friend and it threw you off guard. But...I do have a way you can make it up to me”, Tanya says, leaning in for a kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to make this note for anyone wondering. Bella still has shield abilities, but they are not as strong because she is human. That's why Kate can shock her. She can't die from it though.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for kudos and comments!

On Henry’s birthday, Bella drives with Jacob and Henry to Tanya’s house. The closer they got, the more Henry became engrossed by the scenery.

“We should go camping out here”, Henry says, following the trees through the window.

“Maybe. I’ll ask Tanya about the area”, Bella says.

“Want to come camping with us, Jacob?”, Henry asks.

“For sure, man. I have to leave for family business tomorrow, but I’ll come back for camping.”

Bella actually wanted Jacob to come. Henry has become a camping expert by doing a lot of research online and even practicing with a tent she bought, but Bella struggled with all of the basic camping activities. Bella pulls up to Tanya’s house. Both Henry and Jacob are amazed.

“Kate was right. My party should be here instead of the apartment.”

Bella rolls her eyes and ignores him as they get out of the car. Tanya opens the door and smiles as they get closer.

“Bella! Henry!”, she says, smiling.

She looks at Jacob and nods to acknowledge him. He surprisingly smiles at her. It was small, but genuine. _Maybe he is trying_ , Bella thinks as they walk inside.

“Happy Birthday, Henry”, Tanya says.

He hugs her and thanks her for hosting the party. Everyone’s there, including Irina and Maddox. When Bella met him a few days ago, she didn’t know what to think. He’s quiet and contemplative. He was nice and seemed to observe Bella silently with his reddish gold eyes. Even though he was new to the vegetarian diet, he was completely comfortable around Bella, and after a while quickly started asking her questions about her family, school, and Henry. He behaved like an older brother and whenever he would inquire into Bella’s life, Irina would watch him carefully as if she wanted to prevent him from becoming too attached. Maddox was similar to Eleazar in a way. A man of few words, but when they’re spoken, they have a lot of meaning and are specific. He fit right in with the Denali coven. Carmen hugs Henry, while Kate and Garrett high-five him and invite him to play video games. Irina and Maddox introduce themselves, but maintain their distance, as Henry does not know them.

“Sure. Jacob and I love that game”, Henry says, walking to the sofa.

While the Denali coven was not very welcoming, they seemed adjusted to Jacob’s presence. Tanya probably warned them. Bella was glad they were all trying to act cordial. That’s the most she could really expect. Jacob is a little uncomfortable, but attempts to shine in confidence as he sits next to Henry. Bella follows Tanya and Carmen into the kitchen where they both attempted to make dinner.

“You didn’t have to make a home cooked meal. Catering is fine. I know you all don’t eat.”

“Nonsense, Bella. It’s the least we could do”, Carmen says.

“There’s even a cookies and cream cake. You said he likes that flavor, right?”, Tanya asks.

“Yes he does.”

When it was time for dinner, Bella was surprised everyone ate or at least pretended to. Unless there was direct eye contact with Henry, Tanya’s coven simply pushed food around. Jacob devoured every bite, at one point stopping, as if he was questioning the fact that he liked a meal prepared by a vampire. They made very little conversation with each other, but when they did, Jacob almost seemed like he enjoyed it. After dinner, Henry wanted to open his presents. As Bella suspected, Tanya’s family did buy him some. Eleazar hands the first present to Henry. He picks at the wrapping paper, trying to get it open. Watching him, Bella’s heart started racing. This moment is supposed to be wonderful, but all she could think about was the night of her birthday. The paper cut…

Tanya senses Bella’s heart beat and distanced eyes. She places her hand in Bella’s and their eyes connect as if Tanya is doing a silent check in. Bella nods to show she’s okay and looks back at Henry. Unlike her, he manages to open all of his gifts without any problems. Once all the presents are opened, it's back to the video games and even some board games. Bella goes upstairs to Tanya’s room. She needs to be alone right now. Jacob watches as Tanya follows, but doesn’t say anything, instead focusing on Henry. Tanya closes the door behind her as Bella lies back on the bed.

“What happened down there?”, Tanya asks, lying next to her.

Bella moves to lay her head on Tanya’s chest and grabs her side. Tanya wraps Bella in her arms and waits.

“I just started thinking about my birthday party. How it only took one paper cut to change everything.”

“The paper cut was just the final catalyst. For things to escalate the way they did, there were probably multiple things that built up. Besides, even if Henry had cut himself, we all have enough control to handle it. I suspect even Maddox would have been fine.”

Bella doesn’t respond, instead settling her mind in the room with Tanya. Downstairs, Henry rolls the die onto the game board and moves six spaces. Maddox sits across from him, smiling fondly.

“So Henry, do you and Bella play games a lot at home?”

“Not really.”

“Well you’re pretty good at these things. You must have played with someone.”

“I played with my mom.”

Henry stops, holding the die in his hand. He starts to tear up, wiping at his eyes harshly to prevent them from falling. Everyone is quiet, unsure of what to do. Maddox stands up from his chair and hugs Henry, pushing his head onto his shoulder. Henry wraps his arms around Maddox, his tears staining his blue dress shirt. Upstairs, Tanya moves slightly and looks at Bella.

“Henry needs you. I think he misses his mom.”

Bella sits up and moves to the edge of the bed.

“This is his first birthday without his mom. Thank you for trying to make the party special.”

“Of course. Henry's like family to me.”

“Thanks for not fighting with Jacob too”, Bella says, opening the door.

“There’s nothing to fight about. He knows where I stand. Any issue will be him, not me.”

They walk downstairs and Henry removes himself from Maddox and looks at Bella. It was like all the tears had never happened, with him putting on a brave face and asking Bella to be his partner in the board game. As the night when on, Bella realized how well she fit in the with Denali coven. It wasn’t like the Cullens, where she tried to fit in, yet stood out regardless of how much some of them tried to help. It was easy to like the Denali coven, with or without Tanya. She could easily see herself spending time with any of them and feeling like a family. It also made her think even more about Leona and Henry. How to say goodbye. Maddox taps her on the shoulder and asks to speak in private. She follows him upstairs to a small study that opens up to a balcony. He opens the doors and they step onto the balcony, letting the light snowy breeze wash over them.

“What’s up?”, Bella asks, staring out at the trees.

“Irina updated me on your story, Bella. I’m sorry things happened that way.”

“You speak like you’ve been through something similar.”

“Not exactly. I was turned to be a companion. Ultimately, my maker decided that I was not the right fit for her and she left.”

“Were you in love with her?”

“No. I wanted to love her, but I also didn’t want to leave my life behind. I wanted to stay near my family, watch over them. I barely felt any thirst around them. Hard to believe I was a newborn at all. The only reason I’m not with them now is because of Irina. When she entered my life, she set me straight on the rules. It was hard to say goodbye, but I did. ”

“And your maker? Did she try to keep you from your family?”

“She did, but I made her forget me.”

Seeing Bella’s confusion, he clarifies.

“I have an ability too. I can manipulate people’s memories, erase them, and if I wanted, create new ones.”

“So you erased hers? Made her forget you?”

“I made her forget her desire to have me around. By then, I understood how to hunt and live on my own. It was for the best. It pained her that my family mattered more. My experience was not quite like yours, but I know what it’s like to become attached to something and have to say goodbye, even though I forced it. And now, clinging onto every bit of humanity you have left, I don’t blame you.”

He faces her and smiles, his auburn hair falling in front of his eyes.

“I also know that the pain you felt…it’s not fair. And I want to help you if you’re open to it. Would you like me to erase what Edward has done? What the Cullens have done?”

Bella stares at him shocked. Forget Edward? Forget the Cullens? Irina clears her throat behind them. They face her and she sends Bella a small smile before asking Maddox for help with something. It was an excuse to get him away from her. Irina was friendly toward Bella, but they haven’t had a chance to get to know each other. She spent the majority of her time watching Maddox and trying to adjust him to this new life.

Maddox follows Irina while Bella goes back downstairs. Henry looks exhausted and it’s clear Jacob has had enough of the party, regularly alerting to a strange odor in the room. Bella thinks he’s probably too scared to admit he was having fun, that leeches were good people sometimes. Bella’s face is relaxed even though she’s experiencing a boat load of emotions. She thanks the Denalis for the party and leaves with Henry and Jacob.

* * *

“Well that was fun”, Carmen says, throwing a picked over piece of cake in the trash.

“Yeah it was. Could have done without the dog though”, Irina says.

They all could have done without Jacob. While he was polite, the smell was nauseating. However, they are all mature enough to handle the presence of a shifter without instigating a fight.

“Well, he is Bella’s friend, and Henry likes him too”, Tanya says, putting left over pieces in a container to take to Bella’s apartment later.

“It’s too bad he’s not older. He could join us”, Maddox says.

They all go silent. Maddox is right. They care about Henry, but know that he can’t join them in the long run. Might as well enjoy all the time they have.

“And what about Bella? How long will you give her before she’s changed?”, Irina asks.

While the others were already accepting of Bella and left it to Tanya to decide the timeline, Irina wasn’t comfortable with that. Perhaps it had to do with Maddox. He was attached to his human life and it took a mating bond for him to leave. And even that took some convincing. Irina already secretly promised him they could return every year or so to check on his family. Tanya knew they heard Bella’s outburst the other day. It was clear she wasn’t ready to turn yet.

“I’m not sure. Until this Leona and Henry situation is handled, I can’t ask her to be changed now. There’s no one else.”

“I’m sure we have time. No one’s alerted the Volturi, so we don’t have to rush”, Eleazar says.

Tanya hated to say it, but she agreed. Her family followed the laws strictly, but as long as Bella kept their secret, they tried not to worry. They all liked Bella and believed her and Tanya are a good match. Now it’s just a waiting game.

“Do you think it will be easier if she takes Maddox’s offer?”, Garrett asks.

Tanya wasn’t sure. It was difficult at this point to know if Bella’s hesitation had to do with her, Henry, or the Cullens. Maybe it was a combination of all three. Tanya felt she had proved her love, but also recognized that she would have to talk to Bella about becoming a vampire again. The last thing she wants is to delay turning for so long that they are discovered by the Volturi.

Tanya’s phone rings and she tenses at the caller ID. The tension is so strong, it radiates throughout the room. Pressing the green answer key, Tanya brings the phone to her ear.

“Hello Carlisle.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback always appreciated :)


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and writing comments! And of course giving kudos!!

Bella pulls up to the curb of the airport to drop Jacob off. The ride was filled with pleasant conversation and funny stories about Seth and the others at La Push.

“You should come to visit us sometime. Charlie misses you.”

“I will. Probably before I change.”

Jacob’s face grows serious, but he’s not angry. He does not want Bella to become a vampire, but the chances of them getting away are slim. It is clear to Jacob from the party yesterday, that the Denali coven are both old and powerful. The change is hard for Jacob to accept, but arguing will get him nowhere.

“Do you love Tanya?”, Jacob asks.

Bella’s eyes go wide. Why would Jacob ask her that? She thought about it for a moment. She can't say she is in love with Tanya, but she cares about her a lot and can definitely see a future with her.

“I’m falling in love with her, but I’m not there yet.”

Jacob is proud of Bella in this moment. She is no longer the helpless teenager who becomes obsessively enamored by supernaturals anymore. He doesn't need Bella to love Tanya. He just wants to know that she is looking at her situation as a point of survival rather than desire like she did with Edward.

“She’s not so bad. Neither is her family. I like them more than Edward”, Jacob says.

“Nice to see you changed your mind.”

Jacob rubs his head, his hair peeking out between his fingers.

“Well…if this is how it has to be, at least it’s with someone who actually cares about you.”

Bella leans over and hugs Jacob. This tiny bit of approval matters to her. After Jacob leaves, it's just Henry and Bella again. After leaving the party, Maddox’s offer has become the only thing on Bella’s mind. She didn’t mention it to Jacob or Tanya. It is tempting…tempting to erase all the damage the Cullens have done. She has moved on, but how wonderful would it be to not think it occurred at all.

* * *

At work, Bella places a house salad on a table. She walks back to the kitchen passing Troy.

“Hey Bella, can you take over one of my tables?”

It is a weird question. Troy, the “big dog” wants Bella to take his table. Bella looks over at the table he indicates, seeing a woman sitting there patiently.

“What’s wrong with the table?”

“That’s my ex. I don’t know why she’s here and I don’t want to know. Please take the table.”

Bella agrees and handles the table with the ex. The ex is sad with the switch up, but doesn't fight it. Every now and then, she asks if Troy’s section changed, with Bella telling her it didn’t. Bella does not want to pretend that this change is an accident. What good would it do if this woman thinks Troy wants to interact with her? On her break, Bella sits with Troy outside watching him play a game on his phone.

“She’s gone. I’m keeping the tip”, Bella says.

“Thanks.”

“Why don’t you want to talk to her?”

“Because she hurt me Bella. Why would you want to talk to someone who hurt you, who broke your heart?”

Troy is right. Why interact with someone knowing they put you in pain? In hopes of an apology? Bella sees the pain on Troy’s face and it makes her think about Maddox’s offer.

“If you could forget her…forget everything she did to hurt you, would you?”

“That’s impossible.”

“I know, but would you? Please answer my question.”

Troy leans back, resting against the café wall. He looks through his phone and shows Bella a picture of him and his ex.

“No”, Troy says, deleting the picture.

“Why?”

“Because if I don’t remember her and what she did to me, I wouldn’t know what I want from the next girl I like. It’s like… when someone cheats on you and you’ve never been cheated on before, and then you forget, then how would you know the signs in the future of cheating? You know? How would you know that it hurt, that you don’t want to feel that way again?”

Bella nods. She kind of understands. If Edward hadn’t left her that day, she wouldn’t have realized how important it was to stand on her own two feet. She wouldn’t have recognized her mistakes in their relationship, how crippling her dependence really was. That knowledge is what has guided her through this relationship with Tanya. It has made her take it slow and evaluate people more carefully. Even before Tanya, her past shaped how she treated every lover that followed. While they did not develop into a full fledged relationship, the old partners were watched carefully to determine if they really deserved her heart.

“It’s like…every time someone hurts you, it breaks a part of you. You put yourself back together, but it’s not exactly the same. And that’s a good thing, even when it’s a bad thing”, Troy says.

“It’s weird when you get philosophical”, Bella teases.

He elbows her and laughs before standing up.

“Hey, I can get deep Bella.”

Bella rolls her eyes and they walk back into the restaurant to finish their shift.

* * *

Back at her apartment, Bella sits typing at the computer. She’s thankful this class is online because she couldn’t imagine having to present her writing in front of the class, seeing their faces after reading her stories. She is proof that supernatural romance was anything but a fantasy, and she wishes she could tell someone about it all.

A knock sounds at the door. Bella opens it, a smile instantly on her face when she sees Tanya’s eyes.

“Hey”, Bella says, surprised to see her.

“Hello Bella”, Tanya says.

Tanya leans in for a kiss, but pulls back when she sees Henry. Bella still hasn't told Henry about her and Tanya. She honestly doesn't think he'd care, but isn't sure how to talk to him about it yet. Tanya is the second person she’s dated in Alaska and Henry didn’t meet the first.

“Tanya! You should have come earlier. Bella made dinner and it was good”, Henry says.

“Maybe next time. I brought the rest of your birthday cake.”

Tanya hands Bella the container and she opens it as Henry asks for a slice. She doesn't remember making plans with Tanya tonight. Her unexpected visit is pleasant, but also makes Bella wonder why she’s here. It isn't like Tanya stopped by with roses or a swoop away surprise. She knows Bella can’t do anything without planning it first because of Henry and school.

“Can I eat this in my room while I do homework?”

“Sure.”

Henry takes a bite of cake, white frosting covering his lips. He walks into his room and closes the door behind him.

“It’s kind of like we have our own study sessions. What brought you here?”, Bella asks.

“A couple of reasons really. To bring the cake. We don’t need it. Also…I wanted to see you.”

Bella feels Tanya is hiding something, but doesn't feel like trying to figure it out. They’d gotten into the habit of waiting for the other person to bring it up, unless it really bothered them. Bella touches Tanya’s hand, interlocking their fingers. They walk into her bedroom, Tanya closing the door behind them. Tanya kisses Bella, wrapping her arms around her. Bella can feel Tanya’s nerves through the kiss.

“Were you busy before I came?”

“Just school stuff. What’s going on?”

They lock eyes. Tanya searches Bella’s as if she can predict her reaction to what she’s about to say.

“Carlisle called. The Cullens are coming to visit.”

Bella doesn’t react, which is strange for Tanya. She expected yelling, fear, or something.

“It’s just a pass-by visit. They are only staying in Alaska for the week. Carlisle wanted to confirm he could stay with us, but I refused. Didn’t tell him why though.”

Bella is still quiet, her face devoid of emotion.

“I can’t stop them from coming, but I want to know how we should handle it. What you want to do.”

Bella isn’t happy that the Cullens are coming. She knows she has to face them eventually, but hoped it would be after she became a vampire.

“I want us to be a team in this Bella”, Tanya says, stroking Bella’s arms with her fingertips.

Bella has two choices. She can either stay away from Tanya while the Cullens are here and hope she wouldn’t run into them, or confront them head on. Neither option is calling to her more than the other. She doesn't need to see Edward or the rest of the Cullen family again. The thought of it does not anger her, or make her sad, or worried. If anything, she is surprisingly indifferent. Closing her eyes, Bella comes to a decision.

“I don’t want to see them. Not now.”

This visit is a pass-by. Bella does not want to become a reason for them to extend their stay. She suspects seeing her with Tanya would lead to that.

“Okay. I won’t mention you then.”

While Tanya’s words were calm and truthful, they were extremely hard to say. She has maintained a calm demeanor when it comes to how the Cullens treated Bella, but it is hard not to confront them. The phone call with Carlisle alone required a lot of self-control. She wants to hear exactly what they were thinking at the time, to apologize, and realize how messed up the whole situation was. She wonders if she could fake it and act like everything is okay when it clearly isn't.

“Do you think you could do that?”, Bella asks.

Part of her is disappointed. Why wouldn’t Tanya step in and lash out at the Cullens? Make them feel an overbearing guilt for leaving her?

“It will be difficult, but we both know if I bring you up, they will want details. They’ll be here in two days.”

“That technically means we have to stay away from each other too right? Because they’ll be able to smell me on you.”

Tanya frowns. She hadn't considered Bella’s scent. It felt part of her at this point and while she knows she could be away from Bella, she doesn't want to be.

“Your scent can fade in a day with the right methods. No use avoiding each other until we absolutely have to.”

They kiss, it becoming passionate immediately. Bella falls back on her bed, Tanya’s body intertwined with hers. Tanya moves to kiss her neck, her hand teasing the boundary between Bella’s shirt and skin. At this moment, Bella couldn’t push away the thought of taking that next step with Tanya. Edward often told her that anything beyond kissing was too dangerous and would most likely end up with her dead. She knows Tanya had many human lovers, but she doesn't know the outcome. She doesn't know if those passionate, lustful moments ended in a peaceful separation or with a body bag. Tanya said she would never hurt her on purpose, but what are the chances of accidental death? Of Tanya losing control?

Bella decides to test Tanya. She reaches her hand down and unbuttons her jeans. Tanya responds by pulling Bella closer and moving her hand under Bella’s shirt, nearing her bra. Their lips meet and then Bella pulls back. Tanya’s eyes are a dark golden color. _She has more control than I thought_ , Bella thinks.

“Is it safe to have sex?”, Bella asks.

Bella prefers to be direct with Tanya at this point. Why go around in circles and try to give hints when both her and Tanya prefer to get straight to the point.

“Yes, I’m fully capable of controlling myself.”

“Have you ever killed one of your lovers before?”

“Yes. That’s part of the reason why I changed to a vegetarian diet. I was tired of doing that. It reduced the blood lust. At least for me.”

“What does it feel like? Blood lust.”

Tanya pauses, trying to find the right words. She does not want to scare Bella. If she knows how tempting it is to drain a human, she might become afraid of her, or refuse to change.

“I’m over a thousand years old. I don’t feel blood lust as much.”

“But what does it feel like?”, Bella presses again.

“Like an unyielding pull. One that’s not released or even slightly better until you give in.”

“Do you want my blood?”

“No. Your blood doesn’t call to me. Other things do though”, Tanya says.

Her eyes scroll Bella’s body. Bella smiles and kisses her, moving her hands along Tanya’s back.

“We can’t right now. Henry”, Bella says.

“I locked the door. He can’t come in.”

“But he might be able to hear us. That’s enough for me.”

Bella pushes Tanya and moves to get off the bed. She sits back at her desk chair.

“This is the first time Henry has actually been in my way”, Tanya says.

“I have work to do anyway.”

Bella thought Tanya would leave. Instead, she picks up a book from Bella’s small shelf, leans against the wall on her bed, and starts reading.

“You’re staying?”

“If that’s okay. Figured you could work and I’d be here when you needed a break”, Tanya says, smiling mischievously.

Bella chuckles at her and gets back to work. It is nice to know that whatever happens when the Cullens visit, Tanya has her back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So do you think Bella is making the right decision in avoiding the Cullens?


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, kudos, and comments :)

The next day, Tanya and Bella decide to spend the day together. Bella calls in sick to work, drops Henry off at school, skips class, and meets up with Tanya at the movies.

“Hopefully you don’t miss anything important after skipping class”, Tanya says, paying for their movie tickets.

“I’ll get notes from someone. It’s nice to have another date before we separate. How did the others take the plan?”

“Not well. They’d rather confront them head on, as would I.”

“Do you think I should?”

They stand in line at the concessions stand, Bella glancing at the menu.

“At some point yes. Even if you don’t want to talk to them for the rest of eternity after, to not tell them how you felt and get an explanation, I don’t know if that’s really moving on.”

Bella fights the desire to defend herself. Edward did give an explanation. They didn’t want her around anymore. She was nothing to them. She has moved on. Whether or not she talks to them about what happened shouldn’t matter at this point.

“Are you saying it because they’re your family and you want to be a mediator?”

Bella orders a small popcorn and a soda. She pays for the items while Tanya grabs some napkins. They start walking down the hallway to their movie room.

“It’s not about being a mediator. The Cullens are our allies, I won’t deny that. What happened between you and them does not make me want to sever the relationship completely. Believe it or not, allies matter, especially with the vegetarian lifestyle we have. Given that, it is important that whatever residual feelings you have left are put out there. You have moved on physically, started a new life for yourself, but until you see them, you won’t know if a grudge is there.”

“I don’t have a grudge. I just don’t want the trouble.”

“And what if there is no trouble? What if they see you and don’t care? Just shrug their shoulders and act like they did nothing wrong?”

Bella does not like where the conversation is going. She assumed when they left, they didn’t care. Never cared. But hearing Tanya say it, mention the idea of the Cullens defending their actions or acting like it was not an issue at all, starts to hurt. She lucks out when they find their room and move up the stairs to sit in one of the middle rows. The theater is pretty crowded, so this conversation will have to go away. Tanya does not bring it up during the wait before the previews and they watch the movie. It’s a comedy, so Bella feels even more relief. After the movie ends, they walk to Tanya’s car and talk about their favorite parts. Once Bella closes the car door, Tanya faces her before starting the car.

“I don’t want you to feel like you’re no one. That you’re not important. I don’t know how the Cullens view you now, if you were just a simple human or not in the end. What I can tell you is that every partner I’ve ever had that lasted more than a few months mattered. And when I ended things with them, it still brought up feelings. Vampires have emotions. We can mask them better than humans, but they are there. The best thing to do is get the full story.”

“If any of them cared, they would have stayed behind, regardless of what Edward wanted.”

Bella’s voice wavers slightly, and she hopes Tanya will ignore it. Tanya does.

“I’d like to say that’s true, but you weren’t Edward’s mate. Even if they cared, it wouldn’t have been right to stay. Especially if they knew you’d try to hold onto something that inevitably would end.”

“So you’re taking their side?! You think they should have abandoned me”, Bella says, voice raising.

“I think they should have ended it. Not let it get as far as it had. It was the way they ended it that was the problem Bella. Not the fact that they did. If you don’t see that, see they should have stopped carrying a relationship with you at the time, then you aren’t over it.”

Bella wants to scream at Tanya so bad. She is over it! She can’t find it in herself to really think over Tanya’s words anymore.

“Just take me home.”

Tanya starts the car, but instead of driving to Bella’s apartment, she drives to her house. Bella looks out the window knowing where they are going.

“You vampires really do whatever you want huh? I said take me home.”

“We agreed to spend the day together. I still want that and I know you do too.”

Tanya gets out of the car and walks toward the front door. Bella stays in her seat and crosses her arms, glancing at Tanya through the windshield. Tanya looks back at her after opening the front door. Realizing that Bella isn’t coming inside, Tanya walks in and closes the door behind her, leaving Bella in the car.

“Isn’t Bella coming in?”, Carmen asks.

“She will eventually.”

“Did you two have a fight?”, Kate asks.

“Not exactly. I told her the truth and she didn’t like it.”

Tanya walks upstairs, leaving her coven confused. Carmen glances out the window, watching Bella in the car.

“Should we go out there and talk to her? She must be cold”, Carmen says.

Everyone is quiet, not sure what to do.

Bella reclines back in her seat and closes her eyes. _Eventually she’ll come back outside and drive me home_ , Bella thinks. Though she wishes Tanya had turned the heat on. It is pretty cold. She rubs her hands along her arms to create some warmth and closes her eyes. She dozes off, eventually awakening to the driver’s side door opening.

“Knew you’d change your mind”, Bella says sleepily.

She glances at the driver’s side, but instead of Tanya, Irina is sitting there. Irina starts the car and turns on the heat. Bella pushes the switch to high, letting the heat fill the car.

“I was wondering when someone would come out here. Tanya was going to let me freeze to death.”

“No, she wouldn’t have. She’s been watching you from her window. See?”, Irina says, pointing toward the house.

Bella looks up and sees Tanya staring at her through the window before closing the curtains.

“Shall we go inside?”, Irina asks.

“I’d rather go home.”

“Why?”

“Didn’t Tanya tell you what we talked about?”

“No. Why don’t you tell me?”

“She wants me to talk to the Cullens. Find out why they left and if they all felt that way. She’s only doing it to not disturb their perfect relationship.”

“First off, our relationship with the Cullens has never been perfect. Tanya wanting that is more about you than them. She knows that the Cullens will visit as centuries go by and doesn’t want you ignoring them or having the visit be difficult when it might not have to be.”

“So you’re taking her side?”

“I’m on both of your sides. You are part of this family, Bella. We love each other and protect each other. We also tell the truth. What do you think will happen if you face the Cullens this visit?”

“I don’t know.”

“What do you want to happen?”

Bella’s not sure what she wants to happen. No…she’s sure. She wants them to apologize. She wants them to beg for forgiveness. She wants them to feel so guilty, they’ll do anything to make things right. She also knows the chances of that happening are small. They’ve had four years to come back and haven’t.

“Maybe I should just take Maddox’s offer and make them go away or at least more tolerable.”

“That is an option.”

“Do you think I should?”

“It’s not my place to say. I don’t even know what I’d do.”

Bella pauses for a few minutes, placing her hands closer to the heat vents.

“I can drive you home if you want”, Irina says, breaking the silence.

“No…I’ll come inside.”

Irina turns off the car and they go inside the house. Carmen hugs Bella. Tanya is still upstairs. Bella walks toward the stairs, stopping by Maddox.

“I don’t want to erase what happened. I don’t think it will really make things easier. Thank you for offer though.”

Maddox nods, but doesn’t comment. He’s not offended, but does not understand Bella’s reasoning.

“If you’re not going to take his offer, at least let us rip the Cullens apart when they get here”, Garrett says.

“We can in the future, but this trip is a no fighting one. Tanya said you want this to just be a pass-by”, Carmen says firmly.

It’s strange to hear this tone from her when it comes to fighting, but Carmen is protective of her family and right now, that does not include the Cullens.

“We’re going to stick to the plan. I’ll stay away and you’ll pretend. I’ll talk to them on the next visit”, Bella says.

“What about Edward and his gift?”, Maddox asks.

Maddox brought up a good point. Edward’s telepathy is both an annoyance and challenge. It would take a lot not to think about Bella after seeing him. Even though Maddox has not witnessed the effects of Edward’s gift personally, he’s heard enough to get the idea.

“We could sing songs in our heads. Drive him crazy”, Garrett suggests, smiling deviously.

“But he might suspect we’re hiding something”, Eleazar says.

“So what? It does not matter what he thinks as long as none of them know about Bella”, Kate says.

Bella is impressed that they’ve tried to figure out what to do rather than winging it.

“I wish my shield could protect all of you”, Bella says.

“One day it will. I’m sure of it”, Eleazar states confidently.

The more reminders of her becoming a vampire one day Bella had, the more comfortable she became with the idea. She knew she would be around people who love her and will always be there when she needs them. She feels it would be that way whether her and Tanya are together forever or not. She walks upstairs to Tanya’s room. Entering it, Tanya is sitting by a small table organizing papers. Bella spots the ladybug paperweight.

“Where did you get that?”, Bella asks, closing the door behind her.

“Book Sweet. Fin sold it to me. It looked cute enough.”

“I’m sorry for getting upset at you. I feel like that’s a regular habit of mine.”

“It is, but that’s why I said what I did today. I know the Cullens and vampires in general are still a sensitive issue.”

“I’m still not talking to them this time, but I will next time”, Bella barely breathes out.

That seems to be enough for Tanya because she smiles and walks over to Bella, pulling her close.

“Thank you.”

“How about no more serious conversations for the rest of the day?”, Bella suggests, leaning in for a kiss.

“Great idea.”

Bella places light kisses on Tanya’s jawline.

“Now that Henry’s not here, we can continue where we left off yesterday”, Bella says.

“I should probably warn you, my coven hears everything.”

“I suppose I have to get used to that, given that I’ll become one of you soon.”

Tanya pulls back with inquisitive eyes.

“When you say soon…what are you thinking, timeline wise?”

“I thought we weren’t going to have any more serious conversations?”

“Technically we won’t. You have a whole week without them. Enlighten me for now please.”

“I’m not sure. Maybe once I’ve gotten things together for Henry. Maybe even after I graduate from college.”

“That’s fine. I understand how important those things are to you. And if you—”

Tanya freezes and turns her head toward the window. Her jaw is tight and Bella knows something is wrong.

“What is it?”

“I guess they got here earlier than planned.”

There is only one _they_ Bella could think of. Any chance of lying low now is gone. Her heart beat speeds up, but she can’t place an emotion for how she’s feeling right now. Maybe they don’t remember her smell. Bella and Tanya look at each other and wait. Bella hears Carlisle’s voice downstairs. While she can’t decipher what he’s saying, she knows Tanya can. Tanya lifts her hand to indicate Bella should wait here and walks downstairs, closing the door behind her. Bella lies back on the bed and waits. She knows the Cullens will be able to tell there is a human in the house, but will they recognize it’s her?

“Hello Carlisle”, Tanya says, forcing a smile with the other members of the Cullen coven.

“Tanya, we got in early and thought we’d come by and say hi. Didn’t realize you had company”, Carlisle says.

“I still like to entertain humans. I also like my privacy.”

Tanya’s tone alone is one of a restrained anger. It’s so much that Jasper twitches even though her gaze is not directed at him. Tanya figures they don’t recognize Bella’s scent. It has been four years. During that time, they’ve filled their noses with so many scents of humans that Bella’s was easily lost in the fold. They’d remember Bella only if they saw her or if they had kept something of hers from before. Tanya looks at the Cullen family. Everyone’s there and they look rather normal. She’s only seen them once since they left Bella. They looked slightly disheveled then, but any worn emotions were hidden, possibly to avoid guilt.

“No Edward?”, Irina asks.

“Edward is at home. He had ordered a new piano and wants to make sure it’s to his liking. He’ll come by after”, Esme says.

“I’d like you all to come back later as well. Now is not the best time”, Tanya says.

“Of course. Sorry if we were interrupting anything”, Carlisle says.

They turn to leave realizing that their presence is not welcome at this time. After their cars are out of hearing distance, Tanya tells Bella she can come downstairs.

“You sure you can do this?”, Bella asks, feeling the tension in Tanya’s back.

“I don’t know”, Tanya says, facing her.

“Hiding our thoughts is one thing. Emotions are another”, Maddox says, ruffling his hair.

Irina rubs his shoulders lightly and they all look at Tanya.

“I can get through this”, Tanya assures, looking into Bella’s eyes.

“Okay”, Bella says softly.

Bella leans in to kiss her, but stops noticing Tanya’s attention is now toward the door.

“Bella?”, a voice says.

The voice is soft, deep, and full of shock. Bella hasn’t heard the voice in four years, and when she did, her own paralyzes in her throat. The owner of the voice turns the door knob, jerking it more aggressively after recognizing it’s locked.

“Bella!”, the voice calls again, this time more confident.

The Denali coven are still, deciding to wait this out. Bella hears the door knob break and flinches. Tanya wraps her arm around Bella’s waist and pulls her close as the door burst open.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, kudos, and comments! I hope all of you had a nice weekend.

Edward stands in the living room. His eyes scan the room, finally resting on Bella. He opens his mouth to speak, but shuts it instantly. Since Bella’s cover is blown, Bella is on the forefront of everyone’s mind. The thoughts are so obtrusive, Edward grimaces and looks away as if that will help. It overwhelms him to the point where he gives one last glance to Bella, eyes painfully pitch black, before running off.

“What were you guys thinking?”, Bella asks.

“I was yelling at him for what he did to you. Want to know the specifics?”, Kate asks.

“No.”

Looking around, it seems that’s what all of them were doing. Tanya grabs Bella’s hand.

“We can’t avoid them now. The best thing to do is say what you feel. Don’t hold back.”

Bella nods and the alarm on her phone goes off.

“Crap. I’ve got to pick Henry up from school.”

“I’ll go with you. Edward will probably tell them and they’ll come back later. We can talk to them beforehand if you want”, Tanya says.

“No, they know now. Let’s talk to them together.”

Tanya and Bella leave to pick up Henry from school and then drop him off for a tutoring session with Fin.

“Are you guys okay?”, Henry asks.

Henry places his backpack on the floor and removes a few folders to start his homework.

“We’re fine. Why?”, Bella asks.

“You seem scared.”

“We’re not. But if we were, any advice?”, Bella asks.

Henry pauses for a moment.

“Think about me. When I get scared, I think about you. How brave you are. Then I feel better.”

“So I make everything better?”, Bella asks.

“Not really, but it works sometimes.”

Tanya chuckles while Henry sits down at the table.

“We should go. They’re at the house now”, Tanya whispers.

Bella and Tanya walk out of Book Sweet and get in the car. They don’t talk on the drive. Bella spends it gazing out the window and thinking over every moment she spent with the Cullens and what followed.

When they arrive at the Denali house, the covens are on opposite sides. Edward is not there and that surprisingly relaxes Bella. The Denali’s are focused on the Cullens while all of them are staring at Bella. All of the nerves Bella felt in the car are gone. She doesn’t know if that is Jasper’s doing or of her own accord. Carlisle and Esme give hesitant smiles. Jasper, while looking at Bella, seems to be focused on something else. Bella wonders if he’s using his power to calm the room. Alice looks relieved, as if built up worry over time has finally been released. Emmett seems confused, and if he didn’t already have perfect vision, he would probably rub his eyes questioning if Bella is really in front of him. Rosalie appears to be sizing up the room and Bella is shocked her face is not worn with a scowl. She seems indifferent to Bella’s presence altogether and here as a formality.

“Bella”, Alice starts, standing up to approach her.

“I’d rather talk first”, Bella breathes out.

Bella is curious on what the Denalis have said since the Cullens arrived. It’s hard to say how much information they would provide without Tanya present, but she doubts they sat quiet and patient while waiting. Bella is thankful that in this moment, there isn’t the grudge Tanya mentioned. She’s upset, she won’t deny that, but she didn’t care if they begged for forgiveness anymore. She wants all the facts she can get and then leave it at that. Alice nods while Bella and Tanya move to sit on the sofa by the rest of the Denali coven.

Bella starts to think over her approach, but just when she is about to speak, Emmett interrupts.

“Bella, what are you doing here?”

He didn’t sound angry, just surprised and curious. Bella couldn’t feel that though. She only saw that once again the Cullens are messing things up and trying to have their way.

“I’m trying to talk. If you give me the chance to do that, you’d get all your answers”, Bella sneers.

Emmett recoils and Rosalie growls at Bella.

“Don’t talk to him like that! It’s not his fault you were stupid enough to fall in with vampires again”, Rosalie says.

“Don’t talk about her like that!”, Tanya says, growling back.

The growl is so loud, Jasper begins to twitch again. Alice grabs his hand to steady him.

“Maybe only a few of you need to be here while the rest of you go outside?”, Kate says.

There’s enough aggression in her voice for everyone to know it is not a suggestion.

“I only want to talk to Alice.”, Bella says.

Alice feels like the right choice. She didn’t have much to say to the others. Alice is different. She welcomed Bella more than any of them, trying to pull her into their family when Edward was still debating the idea himself.

“Of course. We’ll wait outside”, Carlisle says.

Bella nods and then looks at Tanya.

“I want to talk to her alone.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

Tanya hesitates but stands up and leaves. With only Alice and Bella in the house now, Bella examines her closely. Alice doesn’t seem nervous and Bella wonders if she’s already seen what Bella will ask.

“Why did you leave me alone? Do you know what that felt like? To be left by people who said you were family!?”, Bella yells.

“After your birthday, Edward felt like it was too dangerous for us to be in your life anymore”, Alice says simply.

Yelling started to feel wrong to Bella now, especially since Alice is unfazed by it. She tries to calm herself, rubbing her hand through her hair quickly.

“Did you all feel that way?”

“There were times when we felt it was too dangerous, but Edward liked you. We all did.”

_So Tanya was right,_ Bella thinks. Tanya said there were probably a few things that led to the Cullen family leaving and that the birthday party was the final straw.

“But why after my birthday? Why not after you saved me from James? If you were going to leave, that was the moment. Not make me think everything would go back to normal and leave with something less dangerous.”

To Bella, having vampires in her life became the norm and after surviving James’ attack, Jasper’s felt smaller somehow. It wasn’t some random vampire encounter where Bella was prey. It was an accident.

“I can’t say it was less dangerous Bella. He…Jasper was out of control. I wish I could say he wasn’t, but he was.”

“Why didn’t you say goodbye?”, Bella asks, pained.

Her broken voice is enough for Alice’s calm demeanor to crumble and guilt covers her face.

“Did you think about me even once? Did you think about coming back?”, Bella says, not waiting for an answer.

These last questions are voiced with a bit of desperation. Alice’s answers are sound, and as everything comes together for Bella, she feels both relief and hatred. Bella understood that the Cullens felt like everything became too much in a way; for both of them. Bella realizes that Tanya was right again. It wasn’t so much them leaving that was the problem, it was how they left. Without a trace. A pitiful goodbye in the woods. Alice couldn’t completely answer why they chose that route. While Alice is looking at Bella, her attention seems divided between Bella and the others outside. Whatever answer Alice is about to give is replaced as she leans forward.

“I don’t know, Bella. I’ve thought about you, but didn’t look into your future. I was afraid of what I’d see. I thought about trying to see you, but it didn’t feel like the right thing anymore. It felt selfish. I didn’t fight to say goodbye either. I’m sorry.”

It is with those statements that Bella feels her heart both break and heal at the same time. It reminds Bella that vampires have rules, laws to follow, and she can’t say that she wouldn’t have held on more if Alice came back. She needed a clean break. How it happened was messed up, but it was needed. Some of her bitterness dissolved and she knew that talking to Edward would clear the rest of it.

“Okay”, Bella sighs out.

Bella stands up and Alice follows, a hopeful look in her eyes. Bella’s not sure what Alice wants or expects at this point. Yes she was honest, but that doesn't mean everything would be wholesome and wonderful.

“You can come back in now”, Bella says.

Everyone comes back inside. Bella knows they all heard her and Alice talking.

“Can you take me home?”, Bella asks Tanya.

“I’ll take you”, Maddox says.

Bella nods slightly confused, but walks outside toward the car.

“What will happen now Bella?”, Alice asks, standing in the doorway.

“I’m surprised you don’t know already.”

“Please don’t shut us out! Things are different now”, Alice says.

It’s almost like she’s implying something, but Bella does not bother to ask what. She’s tired.

“Yeah, they are. I have a real family now.”

The Cullen’s faces are pained, but they don’t respond as Bella gets in the car with Maddox.

“I’m not sure where we stand now, but I’m glad things are settled with Bella”, Carlisle says.

“Not quite. Bella’s said her piece, but we’re not finished”, Tanya says.

Tanya’s eyes darken as the car drives away.

“Do you feel better?”, Maddox asks.

“Yes.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t yell at her the whole time.”

“The pain I felt…it isn’t the same anymore. I just wanted to know how they felt. Alice told me that.”

“Are you going to talk to Edward too?”

“I have to. Not sure I’ll be as calm as I was in there though.”

“That’s okay. Say what you want. Throw things at him if you feel like it. It’s not like you can break him or anything”, Maddox chuckles out.

* * *

Back in her apartment, Bella closes her bedroom door and gets ready for bed. Pulling back her bed sheets, Bella catches movement on the tree outside her window.

“Edward if that’s you, I don’t want to talk right now.”

The figure disappears and Bella gets under the covers. Today was a long day and while she feels better, she still does not want to interact with the Cullens unless she has to.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, comments, and kudos :)

Bella walks out of her class and toward the parking lot. She’s feeling better since speaking with Alice yesterday and thinks she can put what happened with the Cullens behind her after talking to Edward.

“Bella”, a gruff voice calls behind her.

Bella turns around and sees Emmett stand up from a table walking toward her. Bella sighs and shakes her head.

“Emmett, what are you doing here?”

“I wanted to see you Bella, and say sorry for interrupting you yesterday.”

Bella’s defensive stance relaxes. She wants to ask how he found her, but she knows it was probably Alice.

“Thank you Emmett. I’m sorry too. I know you weren’t trying to interrupt. I was just…upset.”

“I get that. Buy you an apology lunch?” 

Bella hesitates. _This doesn’t need a whole lunch. What more could he want?_ , Bella wonders. 

“It’s after lunch time, but sure.”

They get in Bella’s truck and she pulls out of the parking lot.

“So what brought you to Alaska out of all places?”

“Just wanted to live somewhere new. Nothing special.”

“Seems like you found something special”, Emmett says, smirking.

A blush forms on Bella’s cheeks, but she feels it go away as the light turns green.

“Yeah, but I didn’t plan on that.”

Bella feels lucky that her and Tanya found each other. She’s also happy that she met Henry and Leona. Even though neither of those situations went exactly how she suspected, she’s glad they happened.

“Tanya cares about me.”

“Yeah I know”, Emmett says.

There’s a strange look in his eye, almost as if he is scared of Tanya. _What happened after I left yesterday?_

“She’s a good person. You’re meant to be”, Emmett mumbles.

They finally arrive at a small restaurant near Henry’s school. Bella has just enough time to eat with Emmett (even though he probably won’t) and then pick up Henry. The hostess seats them at a booth and places menus in front of them.

“Order whatever you want Bella. My treat.”

“Thanks…”

As Bella eats, Emmett asks her about her life in Alaska. She doesn’t mention Henry or Leona, mostly because it isn’t his business. If Tanya had told him, he probably would have mentioned it. Emmett tells Bella about what they have been up to the past four years. He talks about the various romantic trips him and Rosalie went on, their time in New York, and some funny stories that even Bella laughs at. He does not mention Edward, probably because he does not know how she will respond. While they talk, Bella can’t shake the feeling that someone is watching them. It doesn’t surprise her. She left rather sudden yesterday and finds it hard to believe that Alice would let it all go. She looks around but doesn’t see anyone she recognizes.

“We’ve done some great things over the last four years, but it wasn’t the same without you.”

“You’re right. It sounded better.”

“Bella, I didn’t mean it that way. We’d never gotten close to someone like you before. Yeah, we went to school, but we didn’t try to make friends much less bring someone into our family. We trusted Edward to handle it, which was wrong. I know you haven’t forgiven us, and I’m glad you agreed to have lunch with me. I missed you Bella.”

While Emmett’s face has a pout, Bella does not feel sorry for him. She agreed to lunch because of how she behaved toward him yesterday, but she realizes in this moment, she didn’t have anything to be sorry for then. Maybe she also wanted to see if he had more to say. What he did say, Bella doesn’t care for either. Emmett’s pout ends seeing her response. When the check is placed on the table, Emmett’s face turns serious.

“You know Edward wants to talk to you.”

“I know. He came by last night, but I told him to go away.”

Confusion flashes across his face, but it’s gone too fast for Bella to think about it.

“Are you going to talk to him?”

“Yes, just deciding on the right moment.”

“As someone with a few exes Bella, I can tell you there isn’t really a right moment.”

“Tanya says I’ll have to become a vampire because of your laws. It seems what Edward was trying to avoid isn’t possible.”

“Well it is a law, but that’s not the only reason”, Emmett says.

“What other reason would there be?”

Emmett pauses, mouth agape, as if he made a mistake.

“I…I don’t know! Vampire rules are confusing sometimes. If it weren’t for Carlisle, I’d probably be dead by now. Like really dead”, Emmett rushes out.

Bella feels like Emmett is covering something up, but spares whatever reasoning he’ll come up with next. If there is another reason Tanya wants to turn her, Bella can just ask Tanya herself. They walk outside, Bella stopping before they enter the parking lot.

“I have somewhere to go and can’t drop you off. Can you get back okay?”

“Of course Bella”, Emmett says, chuckling.

Emmett stands awkwardly for a moment. Bella can tell he wants a hug, but she’s not interested. She turns away to walk to her car, but stops when Emmett calls her name.

“I know you’re not our biggest fan right now, but maybe one day we can be friends.”

“I don’t know Emmett. Get back to me in maybe a hundred years or so.”

Even though she’s not looking at him, Bella can tell he is smiling.

Bella picks Henry up from school and they go to Book Sweet. While Henry places his work on the table, Fin goes to the back to get him a snack. Bella’s phone buzzes with a message from Tanya asking to meet up. They agree Tanya will meet Bella at the apartment.

“When can we get the stuff for my project? I need more markers, clay, and can we get a color printer? Jake has a color printer and his posters always look better than mine”, Henry says.

“Your teacher said nice things about your projects at the parent-teacher conference, but I’ll look into a color printer. We can go to the art store tomorrow.”

Fin returns to the table with a small bowl of mac and cheese.

“Math first. Bella, I’ll drop him off at 8 okay? We’ll have dinner and then maybe stop by the arcade. When he’s done with his work of course. ”

“That’s fine. See you later”, Bella says, rubbing Henry’s hair.

* * *

Back at her apartment, Bella starts more work of her own. She stands up from the computer and runs through the books on her shelf.

“How was your day?”, a voice says.

Bella gasps and looks up to see Tanya entering through the window. She closes it behind her and walks closer to Bella.

“I haven’t had a vampire come through my window in a long time.”

“Thought I’d try it out. See why Edward liked it so much.”

“Do you see the appeal?”

“No, it’s actually weird. Creepy if you had been sleeping. You should lock your window unless you want visitors.”

“I don’t really think about vampires climbing trees and coming through my window anymore, given you use the door every time.”

Bella hugs Tanya, pulling back after, but staying in her arms.

“Emmett came to see me today.”

“How did that go?”

“Okay. He wants to be friends, but I told him to get back to me in a century. I’m not ready to have them in my life like that right now. Did you talk to the Cullens after I left? He kind of made it sound like you did.”

“I did. Edward came by a little after you left. I was able to talk to him as well”, Tanya says.

“About me?”

“Yes. Do you want to know what I said?”

“Tell me.”

“I’ll give you the short version. I basically told them that they broke the rules, what they did to you was wrong, and that if they ever hurt you again…I’ll have to become more involved. I also banned them from coming back to our house until you’re okay with it. And maybe left a scar or two.”

“You fought them?”

“A small scuffle. I can’t say it was a fight. More a beating on our side than anything. We’re stronger than them. How do you feel about that?”

“Good actually. I would have probably done the same if I was a vampire. If I did that now it wouldn’t work, or it would hurt me.”

“That’s part of why I did it. You were strangely calm when talking to Alice. I figured it was because you either wanted to hurt her back or you really were over it like you said.”

“I think I just wanted it to be over. I had four years without them and most of them were great. When Alice was in front of me, hearing what she had to say made me realize we were both better off.”

“And Edward? Are you going to talk to him?”

“Yes. I want to.”

It’s hard for Bella to discern the look in Tanya’s eyes right now. At first, she thinks it’s jealousy, but what would Tanya be jealous about?

“Do you want me to be there?”

“I do. Just the two of us though. Can we meet at your house and then after your ban can happen?”

“Of course. Carmen and Eleazar are going out of town. Everyone else can make themselves scarce for a while. Whatever you want.”

“Carmen and Eleazar are leaving?”

“Just for a month or so. They’ve been planning a vacation for a while. Even though we all live together, it’s nice to have alone time with your mate. That can be hard to get when everyone knows what you’re doing. They considered staying since the Cullens are here and they want to support you, but I told them that’s not necessary.”

“Of course. We can handle it without them.”

“Exactly. The house is all yours.”

“Thank you. Thanks for being on my side”, Bella says.

“Always”, Tanya whispers back.

Tanya kisses her, pulling her closer. Bella looks into Tanya’s golden eyes and smiles. It’s crazy how she once loved golden eyes, then couldn’t stand to see them again, and now wants to look at them all the time. Pretty soon she’ll have them. At the thought, Bella thinks about what Emmett mentioned at lunch.

“Other than to avoid punishment for breaking the law, are there other reasons a vampire would turn a human?”

“A few. Adding to their coven is one of the most common. Some do it out of companionship like Maddox’s case or someone they know is sick and they turn for saving like Edward.”

“What about mates? Do all vampires have vampire mates?”

“No. Mates can be human. We all were after all. It’s natural for a vampire to want to turn their mate if they happen to be human. It gives you an eternity together as opposed to usually eighty years or so.”

“Would that even work? An eighty year old human with a young vampire?”

“No idea. Don’t know anyone who’s tried that. Usually the human becomes a vampire one way or another. Why do you ask?”

“Emmett implied that there was another reason you wanted me to become a vampire. Not just because I knew about them.”

Tanya pauses for a second and looks into Bella’s eyes as if she could predict Bella’s next reaction.

“He’s right. There is another reason, isn’t there?”, Bella asks.

“Yes there is.”

Tanya releases Bella, simply holding her hands.

“Remember when we first talked about mates? When you first came to my house?”

Of course Bella remembers. She remembers Tanya telling her who was mated in her coven. She also remembers how she thought about asking Tanya if they were mates. Tanya’s behavior toward her makes sense as such, but Bella was too scared at the time to go down that road. Looking into Tanya’s eyes now, the fear evaporates. It is now or never for confirmation.

“I remember. I wanted to ask you more about them then. Tanya…are…are we mates?”

“Yes”, Tanya says confidently.

While her voice is full of confidence, the look in her eyes is one of sadness when Bella lets go of her hands. It fades away as soon as Bella’s lips touch hers. Tanya smiles into the kiss when Bella touches her cheek.

“I take it you’re okay with it?”, Tanya teases, touching Bella’s hips to hold her in place.

“More than okay with it. I suspected. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“I didn’t want you to feel like I was saying the same thing as Edward. False promises of forever. Adding the word mate for effect. I wanted you to get used to this. Used to us.”

“Thank you. You know Emmett says we’re meant to be.”

“I don’t need Emmett to tell me that.”

Tanya kisses Bella and by the time Tanya pulls back, Bella’s breathing is heavier.

“You know Henry won’t be here for a few hours. We’re all alone.”

“A few hours huh? I don’t know if that’s enough time for what I want right now”, Tanya says, eyes darkening.

“We won’t know unless we try.”

They kiss again, Bella letting Tanya move them back toward the bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you think Tanya needs to be there when Bella talks to Edward or should Bella handle it herself?


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, kudos, and comments :).

Bella walks down the paint aisle, watching Henry as he grabs various colors and puts them in the basket.

“This project is going to be a lot of work”, Henry says.

“What else do we need?”, Bella asks.

“I want some stickers. I saw them when we came in. Can I go get them?”

“Does this project need stickers?”, Bella asks.

“No… but if I get a small board and put tree stickers on it, I can make a forest if I get too lazy.”

“Fine, but hurry.”

Henry races out of the aisle. Bella’s phone buzzes with a message.

_Tanya: Edward will be here around 6._

Bella takes a deep breath. There’s no turning back now.

_Bella: Okay. I’ll come over after dropping Henry off._

Bella puts the phone in her pocket and glances toward the end of the aisle where Henry left. Her breath hitches, seeing the one person she thought she’d never see again.

“Laurent.”

Laurent smiles and walks toward Bella, his eyes brown. _He must be wearing contacts_ , Bella thinks. For him to be wearing them, he must be feeding on humans again. There’s no need to hide gold eyes.

“Sorry Bella. Didn’t mean to scare you. Are you alright?”

“Yeah. You’re in Alaska now?”

A bundle of nerves fill Bella’s stomach. She hopes he has developed more sympathy for humans after being with Irina. Their last interaction wasn’t exactly peaceful.

“Temporarily. I lived here for a little while, but I’m sure you already knew that. I can smell Tanya all over you. I assume you’re a part of her coven now?”

“Sort of. Edward and I broke up years ago.”

“Really? I take it you’re still friends then? I thought I saw some of his family at the shopping district.”

“They’re here temporarily, like you. What are you doing in an art store?”

“My new companion likes to paint and I came along. I’m actually glad I ran into you Bella. I wanted to apologize.”

“Apologize for what?”

“For the mess with James. I admit I stood aside while he hunted you. It shouldn’t have been that way.”

“Well…thanks. I’m just glad it’s all behind me. I moved on.”

“Yes, from the little bit Irina told me, you and Tanya are mates. She has a mate now too.”

Laurent’s eyes reflect heartbreak. _Irina finding her mate must have really hurt him_ , Bella thinks as she examines him more carefully.

“And what about you? Is your companion your mate?”

“No! No, he’s just…a friend. I’m still mateless. I didn’t want to stay in Tanya’s coven after Irina. It’s hard seeing someone you love with someone else. I thought I’d go by there and say hello, but I couldn’t. Mates can be wonderful, but their timing is…disappointing.”

Henry runs down the aisle, putting a few stencils and stickers in the basket. He looks up at Laurent.

“Hello there. You must be really busy these days Bella. Got a whole family.”

“Yeah well…it’s been four years.”

Bella is uncomfortable and she doesn’t try to hide it from Laurent. Henry just stares at him.

“What are you building?”, Laurent asks Henry.

“Nature. A camping site. It’s perfect because we’re going camping!”, Henry says.

“Really? That sounds like fun.”

“Ah! I need some of those little people. I’m not making all of them.”

Henry rushes out of the aisle. A man comes around the corner walking towards them. He’s strikingly handsome, proving that even some humans can have beauty similar to a vampire’s. His eyes are a muddy, dark blue and he seems really shy. Looking closer, Bella recognizes him from one of her classes, but can’t remember his name. They have never interacted and he doesn’t volunteer to share his opinion on the pieces they read, so she’s had no reason to know him. Laurent faces him and smiles.

“Alex! I was just about to look for you. Did you find what you wanted?”

Alex nods holding up a few notepads.

“Good. I ran into an old acquaintance. This is Bella.”

Alex waves and Bella smiles, giving a small wave of her own. Laurent’s friendliness toward him worries Bella. She wants to warn him, as all she can think is that he is Laurent’s next meal. It probably didn’t take long for Laurent to abandon the animal diet after leaving the Denali coven. If anything, his time with them taught him how to lure humans in even more. Blend in and take them out slowly rather than just catching one wandering in the woods. More eloquent than vicious. It will let the centuries go by with some excitement.

She wants to call Tanya, but she can’t prove Laurent is going to feed on Alex. She does not think Laurent would hurt her given her relationship with Tanya, but other humans are another story. As much as it pains her, she realizes she has to leave Laurent alone and hope for the best.

“Well, it was nice seeing you again Bella. We have to go now.”

Laurent and Alex walk away. Bella watches them as Henry comes back down the aisle, throwing more supplies into the basket.

“Okay! That’s everything”, he says, slightly out of breath.

Bella looks into the basket. It’s almost halfway full.

“You don’t need all that stuff.”

* * *

Bella pulls into the driveway of Tanya’s house. They fixed the door since Edward broke it, managing to get a replica of the old one. When Bella steps inside, Tanya kisses her.

“You ready?”, Tanya asks.

“Yeah.”

Bella’s voice shook slightly, but Tanya simply nods before walking into the kitchen.

“We have a small amount of time. Are you hungry?”

“Not really, but a drink would be nice. Do you have soda?”

“We do. We stocked up on a few things.”

Tanya takes a soda out of the fridge and places it on the counter. Bella opens it, taking a few sips.

“I saw Laurent today?”

“You did? Where?”

“At an art store. He said he’s here temporarily. He was wearing contacts. I think he’s feeding on humans again.”

Tanya seems unaffected by Bella’s statement. _Does she not get how serious this is?_

“He was with a classmate of mine. I think he’s going to feed on him. Can you stop him?”

“I might be able to, but I’m not going to try.”

“Why not? He’s hurting someone!”

Tanya faces Bella, contemplating how to explain things.

“One day…we’re going to travel the world, and during those trips we will come across vampires at one point or another. Vampires that drink from animals are a rare find, and we can’t stop or pick a fight with every vampire that does not. Laurent said he’s here temporarily, just passing through. Given his relationship with Irina and the respect he gave us when he was with her, I will take his word for it. Vampires drink blood Bella. If your classmate is the one he chose, I won’t stop him. Now, if a bunch of bodies start disappearing, I will have to get involved. Let’s wait and see.”

Bella wants to argue. She can’t imagine if Laurent had chosen someone she was close to like Fin or Troy, but Tanya’s right. Vampires drink blood and the majority of the time, it’s human. She’s going to be changed one day and has to accept the fact that it’s in their nature. She can’t stop them all, nor should she try to.

“This is the first time I knew the person. Well…sort of knew him.”

“That rarely happens.”

Tanya glances at the door.

“Edward’s here.”

Bella takes another sip of soda, the coolness relaxing her. Tanya opens the door for Edward. Both of them stare at each other, neither saying anything. If Tanya is, it’s just in her mind for Edward. Tanya steps aside and Edward walks in. His eyes move straight to Bella and he smiles. The same smile that drew her in from the beginning. He still has the same charm and allure he always did. It does not make her _want_ him, but for a brief second, she misses his touch and wants to hug him. It’s as if the cliff dive water effects are wearing off, and all it would take is him saying her name to break the strength she has built over the last four years. Seeing him now, Bella is frozen. It was one thing when the Denali’s thoughts drove Edward away, but now she feels like she’s facing him alone, even with Tanya here. Tanya seems to sense Bella’s weakness, as she walks over, wrapping her arm around Bella’s waist. Edward frowns, while Bella instantly feels better.

“Bella, I can’t believe you’re here.”

Edward’s voice is soft, as if he is standing in front of something beautiful. Something to be admired. If Tanya wasn’t there, Bella knows she would be in trouble. He takes a step toward Bella. Tanya moves forward slightly, tightening her grip on Bella’s waist.

“Now Edward, we came here to talk. Not touch.”

Edward stops, jaw tight, and glares at Tanya. His eyes move to Bella again, and he looks at her carefully, as if debating his next move.

“She’s right. You’re here because I want to talk to you.”

Edward smiles widely, eyes hopeful. Bella knows this conversation won’t be easy.

“I want to talk to you too. Hearing your voice now…makes me wish I never left. For us to cross paths again…we are meant to be.”

Tanya scoffs, but Edward stays focused on Bella. Bella feels a boatload of emotions right now, the most prominent one being anger. _We are not meant to be!_

“Tanya, I want to talk to Edward alone.”

Tanya’s face screams disbelief and doubt, but Bella tries to reassure her by nodding. Tanya glances at Edward, but he won’t look at her.

“I’ll be in the other room if you need anything.”

“We’ll be fine”, Edward says.

Tanya opens her mouth to respond, but stops when Bella shakes her head. Tanya walks away, eventually out of sight.

“It’s crazy how life is Bella. The fact that you’re here now, with the Denalis of all vampires, proves that you’re meant to be one of us. With me.”

“Edward, how can you think that? You abandoned me.”

“I know. I thought I was bad for you. We were bad for you. With James and Jasper…I wanted you to have a normal life. You deserve that Bella.”

“You’re right. You robbed me of a normal life. You were bad for me. You sucked me into your world and then threw me away. How could you have expected me to have a normal life after that?”

“Alice said you would be fine. That you---”

“Don’t blame Alice! You were the one I was with! Not Alice!”, Bella yells.

Edward flinches with Bella’s yelling, but quickly composes himself.

“You’re right. It’s not Alice’s fault. It’s mine. I love you Bella. I’m sorry.”

“You’re…you’re sorry? You’re sorry?!”

Bella starts to breath heavily as more anger fills her. She wants to throw something at him, glancing around the room at her choices.

“Edward…when have you loved me? I loved you, but when did you ever love me?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean…you cared about me. I know that. But I can’t say that we were ever meant to be. Half the time, you couldn’t even touch me. Sometimes you struggled to even be around me. When you were, you were pained. It shouldn’t have been hard.”

“I didn’t want to hurt you Bella.”

“Exactly. If we were meant to be, you wouldn’t have been able to. You wouldn’t have had to resist getting close to me, getting by looking at me through my window like that’s normal. Like that’s how it’s supposed to work. If anything, it should have told both of us it wouldn’t work. We’re not mates.”

“I know that. I know we’re not mates. I never thought we were, but I still want you. I do love you.”

Bella suspected they were mates before, but Edward never confirmed it. She doesn’t feel tricked, but hurt at the fact that he’s still clinging on when she has Tanya.

“If you love me, then you’ll let me go. You’ll accept the fact that we won’t be together.”

Edward’s eyes have somehow maintained a golden hue. His eyes shift back and forth as if he’s thinking things over, finally coming to a solid conclusion.

“Fine. I’ll accept that Bella. You deserve to be happy, but…you won’t be happy with Tanya. She’s not the one for you Bella.”

Bella couldn’t believe it. Just when she thinks her and Edward came to an agreement, he ruins it.

“How could you say that? We’re mates. I’m happy with Tanya. Happier than I was with you.”

“Bella, I’ll support you in a lot, but you’re delusional if you think you and Tanya could work. It’s already bad enough you’re playing house. Making a little family. And she yelled at us about laws?!”

At first Bella does not know what Edward is referring to, but then it dawns on her. Immortal children. Bella and Tanya talked about them once when Tanya was sharing her past. It was brief as Tanya found it too painful to give details. Edward must think Tanya will turn Henry. But how would he know about Henry? He must have crossed one the Denali’s minds when they were talking with the Cullens alone.

“Why would you think Tanya would get involved in that? She thinks through her choices unlike you!”

“You’d be surprised what people do when they’re lonely, Bella. You know about Tanya’s past. The amount of partners she’s had. She even tried to get with me. She’s lived over a thousand years. Do you really think she has a mate?”

“Are you saying she doesn’t deserve one? Kate and Irina also had multiple partners and they have mates. They’re happy. Are you saying Tanya doesn’t deserve that?”

“I’m saying if she does have a mate out there, it isn’t you. She doesn’t deserve you Bella. Can’t you see that?”

“All I see is we do deserve each other Edward. Maybe you’re the one that does not deserve a mate right now. All the minds you’ve read, you still haven’t realized how selfish you are.”

She wants to slap him, but knows that would bring more pain to her than him. Instead she picks up a small statue on a side table and throws it at him. That one throw releases some of her anger and she walks over to the bookshelf, throwing books at him. She watches as they easily fall off his diamond skin without a nick. Edward simply averts his eyes, waiting for the throws to end.

“Get out”, Bella says calmly.

Edward locks eyes with Bella, determined.

“I’m not leaving Bella. We need to talk about this.”

Tanya appears next to Bella, eyes black. Bella has never seen Tanya’s eyes this way before, but it is not surprising. She knows the things Edward said hurt her. They were offensive and low.

“Get out of my house. Right now”, Tanya says, voice commanding.

Edward looks at Tanya hesitantly. It’s too risky to fight her. He would definitely lose. Bella can tell Tanya wants to fight him and probably would if she wasn’t there. Edward opens his mouth to speak, but shuts it instantly when Tanya steps toward him. Edward examines Tanya carefully. His look is serious, but it’s hard to tell what Tanya is saying to him. She might be so angry that there isn’t a cohesive thought at all. For the first time, Bella catches fear in Edward’s eyes. Then Edward is gone, the Denali house door wide open.

Bella moves slowly in front of Tanya. Her eyes are still black, yet Bella is not afraid. She feels a pull to help Tanya in some way, but wonders how she can do that.

“Tanya”, Bella whispers.

To any human, her voice would be inaudible, but she’s sure Tanya heard her. Tanya’s eyes bore into hers and Bella then knows what she should do. She invades Tanya’s space, wrapping her arms around her in a hug. Any other person would be afraid of interacting with an angry vampire. However, Tanya is her mate and Bella senses that she’s not hungry, so it’s worth the risk. After about a minute, Tanya wraps her arms around Bella and they hold each other. When Bella finally pulls back, Tanya’s eyes have lightened.

“Are you okay?”, Bella asks.

“I should be asking you that, but I’m fine now.”

“You know what Edward said isn’t true. You deserve a mate. We deserve each other.”

“I know that. Still hurt to hear it though. Thank you for defending me. And I’m sorry about Henry. I know you wanted to keep him a secret. I’m not sure who thought of him. We were all pretty upset.”

“It’s okay. I know none of you would do it on purpose. Now what?”

“Edward won’t risk coming back. Unless you want to, you shouldn’t see any of the Cullens the rest of the week.”

“Hopefully I won’t. You can tell everyone to come back now.”

“I will. When they get here, I’m going to hunt. I need to clear my head a little more.”

Tanya calls Irina and all of the Denalis come back. It’s a little weird without Carmen and Eleazar, but Bella knows they’ll return soon. Kate and Garrett ask about the talk with Edward. Bella tells them bits and pieces, but does not tell them what Edward said about Tanya. It feels too personal and something Tanya should talk about. Once Bella is settled, Tanya goes out to hunt with Irina and Kate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what do you think? Is Laurent a threat? Will Edward just walk away? What do you think will happen next?


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for reading, kudos, and comments :)

The rest of the week goes by without Bella seeing any of the Cullens. It’s as if everything has gone back to normal. On Friday, Bella sees Alex in class. _I guess Laurent didn’t kill him_ , Bella thinks. She’s glad she waited like Tanya suggested. When the class ends, she approaches him.

“Hey” Bella says.

Alex smiles, picking his backpack up off the floor.

“I like your work. That last story you did was really cool”, Bella says.

Alex opens his mouth to speak, but stops himself, instead typing in his phone. He turns it to face Bella and she reads the message in his notes.

_Alex: Thanks. I like yours too. Especially that one about the superhero kid. Sounds so real._

“In a way it is, I guess. I get inspiration from real life sometimes.”

Alex types again.

_Alex: Well keep it up._

Bella feels the conversation coming to an end, but that prickling feeling of needing to warn Alex about Laurent returns.

“So, how do you know Laurent?”

Alex puts his phone down and puts his backpack on. Then he begins to type again.

_Alex: He helped me find a French literature book in Book Sweet. Have you ever been there?_

“A few times actually.”

_Alex: How do you know him?_

“He dated by girlfriend’s sister for a while.”

Bella starts to think of ways to tell Alex about Laurent without giving too much away, but she’s not sure what she should say.

“You know…Laurent is trouble. You should stay away from him.”

There’s a bit of confusion on Alex’s face, but he nods before typing again. Bella assumes he accepts her warning, but since they don’t know each other, does not really care about it.

_Alex: He’s my friend. I’m sorry it didn’t work out with your girlfriend’s sister. I have to go._

“Okay. Bye.”

Alex puts the phone in his pocket and leaves the lecture hall. Bella knows that her words toward him were a bit abrasive. They don’t know each other and yet, she wants to protect him. Maybe keep him from going down the same road as herself.

She pushes Alex from her mind and goes to work. By the time her shift is over, she is exhausted. Bella pockets her tips from a table and takes off her apron.

“You heading out Bella?”, Troy asks, packaging a pie to-go.

“Yeah. It’s been a long week.”

“Ah, I bet I know what will make you feel better.”

Troy takes a chocolate cupcake out of the display case.

“I’ll pass. I don’t want a cupcake.”

“This is for a to-go order. I was talking about her”, Troy says, jerking his head toward the door.

Bella turns around to see Tanya entering the café. Tanya smiles and gives a quick wave to Troy.

“Hey, ready to take on another burger challenge? Maybe we’ll get a picture this time”, Troy says, grinning.

“I’ll pass. Don’t think I can pull it off twice.”

“You didn’t even use your month of free fries.”

“She gave them to Henry”, Bella says.

“Oh, how _thoughtful_ ”, Troy says, smirking.

“I figured since you were getting off we could pick up Henry and do something.”

“Aw, how cute. Like a little family.”

Tanya’s jaw tightens and while she is looking at Troy, her eyes seem distant. _She must be thinking about what Edward said._ While Bella knows Troy didn’t mean anything negative by the comment, it was said at the wrong time.

“Yeah. We better hurry. Bye Troy.”

Bella slips her hand into Tanya’s and they walk toward the door. While Tanya is following, she’s not focused and it’s almost like the gracefulness vampires carry is gone.

“You know what Troy said was a joke right?”, Bella says as they make their way to her truck.

“Yes.”

The walk to her truck is quiet after that, but Bella can’t take it anymore once Tanya sits in the passenger seat.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Tanya, I can tell something’s going on. Just tell me.”

“…….Carlisle called. His family has officially left Alaska.”

“That’s great, but that is not what’s bothering you.”

“Troy’s comment reminded me of Edward’s.”

“So immortal children? With Henry…I know you wouldn’t do that.”

“Just the fact that it was considered. It made me nervous Bella. You don’t what it was like. To watch someone you love, someone who was like a mother, be killed. I admit, Sasha had fault, but it was the child that killed her as well.”

It’s weird for Bella to hear Tanya talk like this. She’s only been friendly and loving to Henry. It always came across so flawless and natural. Maybe it hasn’t been as easy as she thought.

“I know what happened was…horrible. But you wouldn’t do that, and Edward was just trying to mess with you. Mess with us.”

“I know. Irina and Kate said the same thing.”

“I can see how this may be a lot for you too. I’m sure this wasn’t how you pictured your mate situation going. You cousin’s ex-girlfriend and a child. I’m sure it—”

“I didn’t have any expectations. I’ll admit I was surprised, but I wouldn’t change anything.”

Even though Bella can tell Tanya is being honest, she wishes she could ease whatever stress or pain Tanya is feeling right now.

“Ready to go?”, Tanya asks, breaking Bella’s train of thought.

“Uh, yeah. Let’s go.”

Bella starts the truck, but keeps it in park when her phone beeps with a message. Bella glances at the message and then types a response.

_Leona: My flight gets in Friday at 10 am. Tell Henry and remind him how much I miss him._

_Bella: I will. Can’t wait to see you._

Bella’s message couldn’t have been more true. With Leona coming back next Friday, she would be able to get things arranged for Henry. That’s one less thing she has to worry about before becoming a vampire.

“Leona’s coming next Friday. She wants me to tell Henry, so she won’t cancel”, Bella says, pulling out of the parking space.

“Hopefully not.”

Tanya’s serious demeanor worries Bella, though she suspects it will subside when the tension is released over Henry. Before Edward came, it was like her and Tanya were in their own little bubble and any information about Bella and Henry was within the Denali family and untainted. Bella does not think Edward would tell the Volturi about Henry or suggest that Tanya is trying to create an immortal child. After all, doing so automatically puts him in trouble for leaving Bella alive for so long with knowledge of vampires’ existence.

They pick Henry up from Book Sweet and Bella drives them to Tanya’s house. Tanya glances at her, slightly confused.

“We could do something with just the three of us, but I think it’s better if we’re all together. You’re not really here”, Bella whispers so Henry can’t hear.

“Thanks”, Tanya says.

“For what?”, Henry chimes in from the back seat.

“Nothing. Let’s go inside”, Bella responds.

Once inside, it’s like Tanya’s worries subside when Kate and Irina ask to go hunting or “for a walk”. Maddox sits down to play video games with Maddox and Garrett. While Bella tries to get wrapped up in the fighting mini-tournament challenge, her mind continuously drifts to Tanya. Thinking back, Tanya hasn’t been one to share her feelings, at least not immediately. She mostly called Bella out on hers. Whatever is bothering her now, Bella wants to help.

By the time Tanya returns, Bella’s made up her mind. She’s not going to let Tanya avoid the conversation.

“Can we talk? _Alone_ ”, Bella asks, standing up from the sofa.

Tanya nods and Bella follows her as they walk out.

“I know a good spot. It’s quite a distance so no one will hear us. I would need to carry you there.”

There aren’t many things that remind Bella of Tanya’s vampirism, but this reminds her. Long distance runs, tree climbing…things her and Edward used to do. She wonders if it will feel the same.

“Okay. Should I get on your back or…?”

“No, I’ll carry you in my arms. It’s easier for me.”

Bella steps closer and places her arm around Tanya’s shoulder. Tanya lifts her up, pulling her close.

“Might want to shield your face a little. The breeze is nice until it makes your eyes water.”

Bella hides her face, breathing in the vanilla smell she’d come to love. It mixes in with the tree scent as Tanya swifts through the woods. It does not feel like it did with Edward. It feels better. Relaxing rather than fascinating. When Tanya finally stops, Bella looks around, awing at the beautiful water. It’s the same spot Tanya spoke to Carmen at. Tanya puts Bella down and she takes a few steps, breathing it all in.

“It’s beautiful”, Bella says.

“Yes it is. It’s where I go when I need to think things over. Matter a fact, I met Carmen here the night I found out who you were.”

“What was going through your mind then?”

“Confusion mostly, and a bit of worry. I’d heard about you, but it was awkward putting Edward Cullen’s human to my own.”

“What Edward said…do you believe any part of it?”

“Is that what you want to talk about? Edward?”

“I want to about you. We haven’t had a chance to really see each other since I talked to Edward. I need to know how you feel.”

Tanya takes a big unneeded breath and stares out at the water.

“I’ll admit, I had a moment where I didn’t believe a mate was out there for me. And when you came along, you hesitated to be with me, and while I understand that was because of what happened with Edward, it still hurt. Even now, I wonder if you would become a vampire if it wasn’t for the rules. You have a whole life, and I’m a good temporary partner. Used to it.”

Tanya does not get the luxury of having a mate who was already a vampire like the rest of her coven. Bella isn’t some damsel in distress. If she was, that would have made things easier in a way. Instead, she is someone who has a life that is full of positive people and actually going somewhere. Bella knows it isn’t about her “soul” or whether or not Tanya is good enough for her. It’s the fact she has to become a vampire one way or another rather than it being a true choice. That maybe Tanya thinks it is more force than having a future with her.

Bella approaches Tanya and hugs her. Tanya’s arms wrap around her, but they’re so light, Bella can barely feel them. That action alone makes Bella determined to soothe Tanya’s worries, if that’s what they are. Bella moves her mouth closer to her ear to whisper.

“I would choose you, with or without the laws. Yeah, I have a good life…but I’ll have a great one with you. I’m not worried. I’m not sad. You shouldn’t be either of those things either. Like I told Edward, we belong together. I believe that. I love you, Tanya.”

On one hand, Bella felt like it was too early to say those words. She quickly pushed that feeling aside because Tanya needed to hear them. Bella waits for Tanya’s reaction, nerves building. It’s not like she expects to hear it back, but she expects something. The feeling is finally relieved when Tanya responds.

“I love you too, Bella. Thank you.”

Bella loosens her grip on Tanya, pulling back. Tanya wraps her arms around Bella tighter.

“You know I had doubts too. When you first told me about mates, I was worried I wasn’t yours and I’d be a lone vampire.”

“That’s silly Bella. That would never have happened. You would have been a part of my coven, my family, automatically.”

Bella leans in and kisses Tanya, letting her fingers linger on her cheek. The kiss is easy, deep, and lacking tension. That in itself relieves Bella.

“I know you’re the leader and all, but you can always tell me what’s bothering you. You don’t have to solve everything yourself.”

Tanya chuckles before moving her hands to link with Bella’s.

“You’re right. I’ll share more.”

Bella holds Tanya and they stare at the water front a little longer before heading back.

Bella and Henry eat dinner at Tanya’s house and when they finally make it home, Bella is ready for bed. Henry however, seems full of energy.

“Want to watch a movie?”, Henry asks, already turning on the television.

“Not tonight, Henry. I’m really tired.”

Bella opens her bedroom door and plugs her phone in to charge. She notices a new text from Tanya.

_Tanya: Goodnight, Bella. I love you._

A wide smile graces Bella’s face and then falls a little when she remembers Leona’s message from earlier. She still has to tell Henry Leona is coming. It has been a while since he talked to his mother and when they did speak, it was brief.

“Henry!”, Bella calls out, walking back into the living room area.

“Yeah?”, Henry responds, pulling his eyes from the television to look at Bella.

“You mom is coming next Friday. Told you she didn’t forget camping.”

While Bella expects some kind of excitement, Henry looks unaffected.

“Cool”, he says, dragging his voice out.

Bella questions why he responded that way. Leona came every time Bella said. Yet, here Henry is, almost disappointed or acting as if it does not matter at all.

“You know, maybe I can stay up for one movie. Tomorrow’s Saturday after all”, Bella says.

Henry’s face lights up and he pats the seat next to him. Bella chuckles and as soon as she sits down, Henry leans against her.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, kudos, and comments!

The weekend passes in what Bella could only describe as a wonderful haze. The beginning of the week is the same old same old. School. Work. Tanya’s house. Repeat. The only thing that concerned Bella, but was ultimately pushed aside with Tanya’s words, was that Alex didn’t come to class. Bella hopes that he’ll be in class on Friday. When a class is twice a week, sometimes we miss one.

When Wednesday night came around, Bella and Henry found themselves sitting at the kitchen table. As much as Bella hoped they would finish the project early, here they were, fumbling to put it together. Henry places a tree sticker on a small, dark green painted board.

“They didn’t have any sticker sets with the same kind of trees?”, Bella asks, searching among the packs for some pine trees. Henry painted a few black spruce trees, but he was tired of painting at this point.

“No”, Henry says, putting glue under the legs of a picnic table.

Bella watches as he attaches the table to the grassy cardboard. She picks up the molded clay fire pit and places it off to the side, near a blue painted clay tent.

“I think the tent’s the best part. Fin did a good job making it look like our real one”, Henry says.

“Yeah, he did. Are you excited for camping this Saturday?”

“Yes, but…can we go camping tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t know about that Henry. Your mom wants to come and don’t you want Jacob there?”

“I kind of want it to be the two of us. Like always”, Henry says.

It’s strange and heartbreaking to see Henry acting like this. While Bella likes when it’s the two of them, she does not want to replace Leona’s promises.

“I don’t know man.”

“Please! You said I could skip school on Friday anyway. Come on Bella”, Henry whines, stenciling his name on the park sign.

Bella wonders if she should give in and take Henry camping. She’d picked up a little more knowledge with practice and given Henry’s reaction to Leona coming, maybe camping together right when she gets back is a bad idea.

“Okay”, Bella says, giving in.

Henry beams and hugs Bella tightly before standing up.

“It just needs to dry. We should go to bed. Need lots of sleep for tomorrow”, Henry says, already walking towards his room.

Bella walks into her room and texts a co-worker to see if they are willing to swap shifts. That’s the only thing she has to do, for Henry packed the camping gear early. It’s pretty simple, given they only planned to camp for one night and maybe explore in the morning.

The next day, Henry swifts around the kitchen in an unattainable excitement. Bella wants to camp with him, but she can’t say it’s her thing, nor will it be. She wishes she was as excited as him.

“We should probably buy marshmallows today, chocolate, and graham crackers”, Henry says, swapping a veggie pack for a bag of chips.

Bella switches them back and zips up his lunchbox.

“I’ll buy those things today. You have school. You get one day off, not two.”

“Right after school, right Bella?”

“I’ll pick you up a little earlier. We’ll eat first and then go the park.”

When Henry asked Tanya about the woods near her house, Tanya instead suggested a park a little outside of Denali. While there is a nice park in Denali, Henry has been there multiple times and wanted somewhere that felt new, hence Tanya’s neighborhood. Tanya’s suggestion is about 40 minutes out and better for tourists, which Bella suspected was Tanya’s way of saying that the woods near her are for hunting and not for first time campers. The park is supposedly spacious and was created for people who wanted to camp. It included restrooms, picnic benches, and suggested nature activities.

After dropping Henry off and buying the s'mores ingredients, Bella drives to Tanya’s house. She went there to relax before picking Henry up from school, but found herself researching camping tips.

“You’re not scared of the dark are you, Bella? There’s big bad monsters in the woods”, Kate teases.

“Kate, none of that. She’s nervous enough”, Tanya says as Bella watches a set-up tent video on Youtube.

“I’m not scared. I think you all are the scariest thing out there.”

There’s a pause. _Maybe they aren’t_ , Bella thinks.

“You’d be surprised how many creatures exist, but we are top of the line. You’ll be too”, Kate says.

Bella closes the laptop. She’s had enough of the tutorials. She’s ready.

“What will the change feel like? Becoming a vampire”, Bella asks.

“Remember James’ bite? Like that, but worse because no one is sucking the venom out”, Tanya says.

Bella can’t imagine it being worse than James’ bite. The thought makes her shiver.

“Are you going to bite me?

Tanya has to be the one right? They are mates.

“Not if I get you first”, Kate says.

She nips near Bella’s neck. Bella flinches a little. She’s used to Kate’s jokes by now, but still. Tanya sighs.

“Yes it will be me”, Tanya says.

“What will happen after you bite me?”

“After a few days, you’ll wake up for the last time. You will be a newborn”, Irina says, finally joining the conversation.

“Then you’ll be insatiable. The best time of your life”, Garrett states as if he’s thinking of the past fondly.

“Or worst time”, Maddox mumbles.

“You’ll be stronger, faster –“, Tanya starts.

“Thirsty”, Garrett says.

“Deadly”, Maddox says.

“When can I be near people again?”

“By people, if you mean family, never. If you mean general public, after a few years”, Tanya says.

A pit forms in Bella’s stomach. She knew she would have to say goodbye, but she thought it would be temporary. She’ll always be able to see Jake since he knows about vampires, but what about Charlie? What about her dad? Or her mom? They aren’t super close, but that’s her mom. Could she really say goodbye forever?

“It’s so you don’t kill anyone”, Irina says.

Bella wonders if Irina is referring more to her family than the general public. Either way, she’s right.

“What if I do kill someone?”

“That could happen, but we’ll do all we can to prevent it. There’s many of us and only one of you. We’re old enough to handle a newborn”, Tanya says.

“So I’ll just be in here? All cooped up?”

“Don’t make it sound so stuffy Bella. I’m sure Tanya could occupy your time”, Kate says.

A blush forms on Bella’s cheeks at Kate’s implication.

“She’s right. You can trust me”, Tanya says, placing her hand on Bella’s.

“And my parents? What will they think happened to me?”

“We are still working on that”, Irina says.

“Any big dreams of how you want to go out Bella? We can make them happen. Perhaps a hot air balloon accident or you’re eaten by a wild animal”, Garrett says.

“You’ve been watching too much TV”, Kate says.

Bella does want to engage, but she also does not. Talking about how you want to die? That is not for her.

“When you decide…let me know.”

That seems to be enough for the group and they continue back on random activities to fill the day. After a few more hours, Bella picks Henry up from school and they drive to the park Tanya suggested. It is exactly how she described and there are two other families there.

A couple approaches Bella and smiles. They’re wearing matching colors and Bella feels way less prepared than them.

“Hey there! My name is Don and this is my wife Theresa. That’s our son Carson over there. First time campers?”, Don says.

“How could you tell?”, Bella asks.

“Just a guess. My family and I come out here all the time.”

Bella and Henry take the camping gear out of the truck. Bella glances at the other family of four, but they are keeping to themselves.

“You look prepared enough. If you need any tips, I’m your guy”, Don says.

“Thanks.”

“Where’s the best spot to set up?”, Henry asks.

His smile hasn’t stopped since Bella picked him up from school. Even while talking to Don, Henry’s eyes are everywhere.

“Anywhere you want really. Given you’re a first timer, I recommend staying close to this park center. That way the restroom is accessible and you’ll be close to your car if you decide to go home early.”

“How long are you camping for?”, Theresa asks.

“Just a day or two. Enough for the experience”, Bella says.

“Maybe longer. Maybe the whole weekend”, Henry says.

Don laughs and ruffles Henry’s hair. Henry recoils and attempts to fix it.

“I like this kid!”

Bella and Henry take the rest of the camping supplies out of the truck and walk off deeper into the woods. The walk feels like forever for Bella and eventually she stops and drops her bag on the floor.

“This is far enough”, she says, out of breath.

Henry nods and places his bag on the ground. He sets up the tent quickly and Bella ends up watching more than helping.

“Want to be a boy scout or something?”

“No”, Henry says.

By the time “they” are finished setting up, it is dark out. Henry makes a fire and takes out the marshmallows. He sits down on a small lawn chair they brought and starts to toast a marshmallow.

“Is this what you expected?”, Bella asks, watching the flames.

“Yes. Thanks Bella.”

“We’ll have to thank Tanya when we get back.”

Henry nods, squishing marshmallow and chocolate between the graham crackers. Tanya stays on Bella’s mind and she looks at Henry again. She never told him about her and Tanya. Should she?

“Maybe next time…Tanya could come with us”, Bella suggests.

“Okay.”

“You know Henry…Tanya and I are together. We’re a couple.”

Henry stops chewing for a few seconds and then resumes. Those few seconds felt like minutes for Bella.

“What do you think about that?

Bella knows Henry has seen a gay couple before. One of his classmates has two dads. But Henry has never asked her about it.

“Will things stay the same?”, Henry asks.

“What do you mean?”

“Me, you, Tanya, and her family. You won’t leave me right?”

In this moment, Bella realizes why he paused. Before, he didn’t really have to acknowledge Tanya. Things between him and Bella hadn’t changed that much. Now that there’s a name to Bella and Tanya’s relationship, he wonders what that will mean for him. Bella knows what she should say, but also knows it would be a lie. She will leave him one day. She decides to go with what she should say.

“Of course not. Why do you think I let you hang out with them?”, Bella says, smiling.

“Then it’s okay”, Henry said, smiling back.

They toast some more marshmallows and Henry talks about how the woods matches some of the pictures from his books and even his art project. Eventually, Henry pauses in conversation.

“I have to go to the bathroom”, Henry says.

“Okay. Um…let’s walk back to park area. You can use the restroom there.”

“No, I can go out here”, Henry says, standing up.

“Go out here?”

“Yeah like real camping. I have to pee. I can pee in a hole or behind a tree. We don’t need to walk back. We can do that for the other one.”

Henry walks over to his bag and takes out some hand sanitizer and a flashlight. Bella watches in disbelief.

“You’re really prepared, aren’t you?”

“Of course. Real camping. I even put some toilet paper in there for you.”

“Just don’t go too far okay?”

“I won’t.”

Henry walks off through the trees. Bella looks up at the stars. _It really is beautiful out here_ , Bella thinks. Camping is more fun than she thought. Bella sits at the fire a little while and then sets up their sleeping bags in the tent. By the time she’s done, she becomes nervous. Henry still hasn’t come back yet.

“Henry!”, Bella calls out.

Nothing. Only the wind.

She grabs a flashlight and starts walking in the direction he left, making her way through the trees.

“Henry!”, Bella calls again.

Nothing.

Bella moves faster through the trees and eventually stops, hearing a snap and squish sound under her shoe. Looking down she gasps. Hand sanitizer.

“Henry”, Bella says again, more rushed.

Her breath becomes heavy, pulling her eyes in every direction. She can’t see anything past the thickness of the trees. She starts replaying every moment in her head.

“Henry!”, Bella says again.

Nothing.

“HENRY!!!”, Bella yells out.

At that moment, Bella’s heart stops. She’s sure of only one thing in this moment. Henry is gone.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, kudos, and comments! 
> 
> Warning: Violence. I don't think it's too heavy, but I'm putting it here just in case.

The first thing Bella does is go back to the park center and call Tanya. With a vampire on speed dial, there’s no point in calling the police, and the other families are too far away to talk to her. On the way there, Bella found Henry’s flashlight. Tanya arrives quickly after the call with everyone else and they go back to Bella’s campsite.

“Do you smell anything?”, Bella asks.

The Denali coven is quiet, turning their heads left and right and taking in the environment. Irina twitches, identifying a smell.

“I smell Laurent”, Irina says.

Her eyes are distant, mostly from shock that Laurent could have any involvement. They seemed to part on good terms. Why would he do this?

Maddox takes a step toward Irina, touching her arm. By the look on his face, Bella knows there’s more bad news.

“I think I smell the vampire from before. The one we came across while hunting”, Maddox says.

“You’re right”, Irina says.

“And there’s another one”, Garrett states, everyone nodding in confirmation.

Three vampires? Bella’s breath hitches and then it’s like the heavy breathing can’t stop. Yet, she feels like she can’t breathe, her chest being pulled toward the forest floor. Tanya wraps her arms around Bella and pulls her close. This barely helps.

“We’ll find him, Bella. Can you track him?”, Tanya asks everyone.

“We can. We’ll go now”, Kate says.

While all of them are curious as to why three vampires would take Henry, that thought goes to the back of their minds. The priority is finding him. Then they can ask all the questions they want.

“Alright. All of you follow the scent. I’ll take Bella back to the house”, Tanya says.

While Bella and Tanya go back to the house, Kate, Garrett, Maddox, and Irina follow the traces of scent and eventually find themselves in a cave. The night sky doesn’t change the beautiful ice around them. While any human wouldn’t know what they are looking at, it is easy for them to see how deep the cave is. Kate glances around the inside of the cave.

“When we fight, we won’t have to be too careful. Everything is pretty sound, so we don’t have to worry about it collapsing”, Kate says.

“Do we have to fight?”, Irina asks.

Irina does not want to fight Laurent. She’s having a hard time wrapping her head around this whole situation. She wants to save Henry, but wonders if they’ll be able to compromise somehow, make it work. Kate faces Irina with a determined look.

“We will have to fight Irina. _All of us.”_

Her tone left no doubt or question. One mistake, one moment of trying to “make it work”, would lead to Henry’s death. Irina nods and sadness covers her face. Everyone runs deeper into the cave, Irina last to follow.

* * *

Bella paces back and forth in Tanya’s living room, running her hands through her hair. What if they don’t find Henry? What if he’s dead? A millions questions swift through her mind. Tanya watches her, knowing that she can’t provide any real comfort or ease worry. Not until they find Henry.

“Why would they take him? What if they kill him?”, Bella asks.

“We can’t think that way. They will find him, and he will be alive.”

“What if they don’t find him? Leona’s coming tomorrow. How do I explain to her that her son is gone?! That she’ll never find him?!”, Bella yells out.

She’s not angry at Tanya. She just can’t believe this is happening. She starts replaying every moment in her head, every interaction with Laurent. She didn’t see this coming. While pain is on Tanya’s face, she manages to hide it a little. Showing panic won’t make Bella feel better.

“They will find them and bring Henry back. I’m sure of it”, Tanya says.

“Okay”, Bella says.

* * *

It does not take long inside the cave before the Denali coven comes across Laurent, and he’s not alone. Laurent stood in the middle, eyes crimson red with no remorse. On his left is a woman, Nalia, who is around the same height as Kate. She has black hair and her eyes are already black in excitement. Her smile is devious and she looks like she’s aching for a fight. Even though she isn’t crouched down, her stance shows she is always in fighting position. On the right of Laurent is Ryan, the vampire Irina and Maddox came across while hunting. Ryan is the same size as Tanya, with grey hair, and looks impatient, as if he’s been waiting hours for them to show up.

Kate scans the area, even looking between the vampires. No Henry. She takes a step forward. Tanya isn’t here, so she’s the leader.

“Where –“

“Why are you doing this Laurent?! What are you doing?!”, Irina interrupted.

Her tone was pained, begging, and full of disbelief. She loved Laurent and can’t understand why he would do something like this.

“Helping out an old friend”, Laurent says simply.

If any of them looked close enough, they would have seen the minuscule amount of pain on Laurent’s face at Irina’s voice. Only Irina saw it though, and she hopes it will be enough.

“You’re hurting me Laurent. Where is the child?”, Irina asks.

“You’re too late to save him. We’ve had our fun”, Ryan says.

“With him, yes. But something tells me all of you will be fun too”, Nalia says, glancing over the Denali coven.

In a blink of an eye, Nalia rushes Kate, knocking her into the air and away the group. She is extremely fast, and manages to land two quick blows to Garrett’s face before Maddox grabs her arm. Nalia kicks Garrett and pushes Maddox off her.

Irina is frozen. She watches Ryan join the fight, landing strong blows on her coven mates. Kate recovers and sprints toward Ryan, only to receive a crushing blow to her legs by Laurent.

Seeing them, Irina realizes that Laurent must have shared their coven’s fighting techniques. Kate’s power radiates from her palms. While she can spread it everywhere else, it is more difficult to focus on other areas in an attack. Going for her legs and catching her off guard are the right moves.

Kate stands, shoving Laurent away with a shock and grabs Ryan. Nalia takes on Maddox and Garrett. It’s clear she has formal training in various fighting techniques while Ryan uses mostly instinct. But even though their techniques are different, it is clear to the Denali coven that Nalia and Ryan are used to fighting as a team, while Laurent is just another vampire in the fold.

“Irina!”, Kate yells, shocking Ryan.

Ryan convulses, falling to his knees.

“Nalia!”, Ryan strains out.

Nalia runs toward Ryan, but is stopped by Maddox. While Maddox attempts to fight Nalia, Garrett rips off Ryan’s arm. Ryan’s scream ceases when Kate rips his head off. They turn to see Laurent and Maddox exchanging blows. Laurent gets a firm grab on Maddox’s shoulder. Nalia moves in for a tackle, but is thrown off guard when Ryan’s arm hits her face, forming a crack.

Nalia chuckles and rushes toward Kate and Garrett. Irina snaps out of her trance when Laurent wraps his arm around Maddox’s neck. Maddox grunts, attempting to get out of Laurent’s hold, but he’s not strong enough.

“I hate you”, Laurent sneers at Maddox.

Irina tackles Laurent, sending him against the icy walls of the cave.

“Are you okay?”, she asks Maddox.

“Yeah”, Maddox says.

He sounds out of breath even though he doesn’t need it. It was a close call with Laurent. They look up to see Nalia pull off some punches and even kicks before Kate grabs her arm and shocks her. Nalia tremors for a second, but fights it enough to swipe at Kate’s face, hitting her. Kate falls back.

“You’re good”, Garrett says to Nalia, ducking one of her punches.

Maddox slams into Nalia and Garrett gains control, wrapping his hands around her neck and pulling her head off before she can get out of the hold. While Nalia is dead, Garrett and Kate both have a few cracks near their collarbones extending toward their faces. There are some cracks on their arms too, but Irina can’t see them under the coats. Nalia was definitely the strongest, hurting a thousand year old vampire. Now it’s the four of them versus Laurent.

Laurent’s eyes are filled with panic as they all step toward him. He stares at Irina, trying to pull some sort of sympathy.

“Irina…I’m sorry. The boy is just there. A little more into the cave”, Laurent says.

Irina looks at Maddox and then back at Laurent.

“I wish it didn’t have to be this way Laurent, but I can’t forgive you”, Irina says.

Irina and Maddox sprint toward Laurent and take him down easily. It’s like he just gave up.

“Are you all right?”, Irina asks Kate and Garrett.

“We’ll be fine. We’re already healing. The rest will fade after a hunt”, Garrett says.

“Kate?”, Irina asks.

“I’m fine. Little late to check in Irina.”

“I’m sorry, Kate”, Irina says.

Kate knows she means it, but shakes her head and starts to walk deeper into the cave. Everyone follows and they eventually see Henry. He’s on his back, body still, and it does not take long for Maddox’s eyes to become darker at the smell of blood. Garrett stays back with Maddox while Irina and Kate check on Henry’s condition.

“Is he dead?”, Maddox asks.

It was a strange question for a vampire to ask. They all know the answer.

“No. His heart beat is extremely slow though”, Kate says.

“And his arm is broken”, Irina says.

The blood Maddox smelled was minimal and from a small scratch, but shocking in the moment. After nodding that he’s okay to Garrett, he walks closer to Henry, squatting down to take a closer look.

“It’s cold in here sure, but that wouldn’t make his heartbeat that slow. What did they do to him?”, Garrett asks.

“I’ll find out”, Maddox says.

Maddox touches Henry’s head gently and flashes of what happened after Henry’s abduction in the forest move across his eyes. What stands out are Henry’s continuous screams and cries being swallowed up by menacing crimson eyes. When the visions end, his eyes are black in anger.

“Other than breaking his arm, they just scared him. An adult can barely handle a vampire’s presence, for him it was complete terror”, Maddox says.

Henry’s heartbeat is so faint, they all wonder if he will survive.

“Should we change him?”, Kate asks.

It only took a few minutes spending time with Henry for Kate to grow fond of him. She now understood why Sasha turned a child. Sometimes you care so much, it seems to be the only option, even when you know it is against the law.

“We can’t do that. We’ll take him to the hospital and hope for best”, Irina says.

A whimper escapes Henry’s lips as if he recognizes their voices. Irina lifts him up.

“It’s okay Henry. We got you”, Irina whispered.

And even though Henry clings to her, he shakes as if he’s afraid of her as well.

“Garrett and I will take him to the hospital and call Tanya. You and Maddox dispose of the bodies and then meet us there”, Kate says.

Kate takes Henry from Irina and her and Garrett head toward the cave exit. Maddox faces Irina and hugs her.

“I know you didn’t want to fight Laurent. I’m sorry it came to this”, Maddox says.

“Don’t be sorry. Laurent made his choice when he took Henry and attacked you”, Irina whispers.

She kisses him and then they head back to handle the bodies.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading, kudos, and comments :). I hope everyone has a relaxing weekend.

Tanya watches Bella continue to pace back and forth in the living room. She hasn’t taken a break since they came back to the house. Bella stops instantly when Tanya’s phone rings.

“Yes”, Tanya says after seeing it was Garrett calling.

“We found Henry and took care of them. He’s hurt. We’re going to the hospital”, Garrett says.

“We’ll meet you there.”

Tanya hangs up and sees Bella looking at her in confusion. Her conversation with Garrett was too fast for Bella to understand. Henry is safe (and hopefully not too hurt), and her and Bella can go to the hospital. There is only one hospital close to this area, so Tanya knows that is the one they are going to.

“They found Henry. He’s alive, but hurt, so they’re taking him to the hospital now. We can meet them there.”

Bella breathes out a huge sigh of relief and hugs Tanya, who kisses her forehead.

_Thank God_ , Tanya thinks. She hasn’t prayed in years and yet found herself mumbling prayers in this situation. She honestly didn’t know if her coven would find Henry alive.

“Let’s go”, Bella says.

They walk outside toward Tanya’s car, Bella a few feet ahead. The relief Tanya feels from Garrett’s call vanishes instantly when she spots a blur emerge from the trees.

“Bella!”, Tanya calls out.

Tanya rushes toward Bella but is tackled from the side and falls to the ground. She recovers quickly and makes her way to Bella, standing in front of her protectively. Two vampires are standing about ten feet away. The woman has thick, wavy red hair and the man has muddy, dark blue eyes.

“Vi-Victoria”, Bella whispers, her voice trembling.

_Victoria?_ Tanya stares at her and growls. When Bella told her about James, Victoria, and Laurent, Tanya figured that James and Victoria weren’t mates. It had been four years after all. She could have killed Bella by then if she wanted. Victoria smiles, it quickly falling into a menacing glare.

“Hello _Bella Swan_ ”, Victoria drags out.

Tanya looks over at the other vampire. Him and Victoria aren’t standing next to each other, instead positioned diagonally on each side of Tanya.

“That’s Alex. That’s the guy from my class”, Bella whispers in disbelief.

Tanya looks at Alex more carefully. He’s definitely not a newborn. If anything, he seems to be at least as old as Jasper in the way he carries himself. The way he stands, he looks like a natural fighter. Victoria looks sinister and growls at Tanya, while Alex is inexpressive.

“Thought I’d forgotten about you?”, Victoria says. “Not a chance.”

“What do you want?”, Tanya asks.

She knows the answer, but needs to access the situation. Tanya thinks she can take them, but it would be difficult. It’s two against one. She also has to somehow protect Bella at the same time. Tanya hopes that someone from her coven comes home before going to the hospital. She doubts it though. 

“You know what I want. Revenge.”

“You could have come sooner”, Tanya says.

Tanya glances at Alex. Something is off about him, but Tanya is still trying to figure it out.

“No. I needed it to be now. Right when little Bella had no guard dogs and the family of her dreams”, Victoria says.

Victoria continues talking and while it appears Bella is listening, Tanya isn’t as focused on her. Tanya’s eyes are on Alex. She’s noticing the same thing Bella did. He has the beauty of a vampire, but he’s not as pale. The skin of a human maybe? And his eyes…looking deeper Tanya sees that beneath the muddy, dark blue are bits of red and violet. Undetectable to the human eye.

“You know, I don’t know what they see in you Bella. You’re such a boring human. Just sitting in your room doing homework”, Victoria chuckles out.

How would she know what Bella does in her room? She was watching her? No, if she was close, Tanya would have smelled her. Then it hits Tanya. She can smell the trees, the sweat forming on Bella’s forehead, and even Victoria’s lemon-rose scent, but she can’t smell Alex. He does not have a scent at all. If he was not standing in front of her, she wouldn’t know he was there. He could have been watching Bella and them undetected. Unlike Victoria, he hasn’t even spoken a word. Tanya wonders if he can talk and if so, what his voice would sound like. She does not think Alex has a gift. His form is not an illusion. It’s almost like something bad happened during his change into a vampire. Some sort of freak accident.

Bella wraps her fingers around Tanya’s arm, shaking.

“Don’t Bella”, Tanya says, through clenched teeth.

The last thing Tanya wants to do is hurt Bella when fighting Victoria and Alex.

“Yes, Bella. Cling to your mate” Victoria says.

“Bella said you have the gift of self-preservation. You seem to be lacking it”, Tanya says.

Victoria scoffs.

“You’re the one whose days are numbered. A thousand’s too old anyway”, Victoria says.

Victoria locks eyes with Alex briefly and then they charge at Tanya. Bella screams and Tanya forces both of her arms out, knocking Victoria and Alex back. Tanya rushes toward Victoria, grabbing her. They fight, but instead of Alex attacking Bella, he joins Victoria. The fight is just as challenging as Tanya thought it would be. Just when she manages to hit Victoria, she has to defend herself from Alex. Separate they wouldn’t be a problem, but Tanya is struggling to fight them together.

Victoria grabs Tanya’s neck, Tanya clawing at her arms. Tanya grunts, her eyes leaving Victoria’s to see Alex by Bella. Alex is holding Bella’s cellphone and he crushes it in one hand before shoving Bella to the ground.

“Bella!”, Tanya calls out.

Tanya kicks Victoria in the stomach, moving her away, and then faces Bella. Alex is gone. When Tanya spots him, his body is on the ground limp, head gone, Maddox standing over him.

“Need some help?”, Maddox asks.

Tanya turns back to Victoria as Maddox charges to attack her. She shoves him off easily and starts to run away from them. _Guess her power is kicking in after all_ , Tanya thinks. Rather than getting away and disappearing into the trees, Victoria is tackled by Irina. Tanya and Maddox immediately join her, not giving Victoria a chance to get away. While Victoria’s body is burning on Tanya’s lawn, she walks over to Bella.

“Are you okay?”, Tanya asks.

“I should be asking you that.”

“I’m just glad it’s over. It is over right? No more vampires that hate you?”

“No. No more.”

Irina and Maddox approach them.

“How did you know?”, Tanya asks.

“Laurent mentioned helping a friend. I thought we’d check on you both before going to the hospital”, Irina says.

“We lucked out with her attacking when she did”, Maddox says.

“Thank you”, Bella says.

From her tone, Tanya can tell Bella finally feels like this is all over. With Edward and Victoria.

“Let’s go to the hospital”, Tanya says.

* * *

Bella stares at Henry sleeping in a hospital bed. Tanya stands next to her.

“You can sit in the chair next to him. He’ll be okay Bella.”

“I know. Do you think he’ll remember what happened?”

“Probably. Even the hardest things to believe are hard to deny when you’re in the hospital.”

Bella sits down in the chair next to Henry. He looks so peaceful, even with a cast on his arm.

“They could have done way worse. The break is small and will heal fine”, Tanya says.

“Why would they take him?”

“Distraction probably. Or just to mess with us.”

“This is my fault. Henry and even all of you fighting”, Bella says, not taking her eyes off Henry.

Tanya walks over and kneels beside her.

“It is not your fault Bella. You couldn’t have known.”

“Jake…the others at La Push, they helped keep her away. Victoria never gave up. She found a new coven. She found other vampires to help her. Laurent—”

“Laurent couldn’t move on”, Irina interrupts, entering the room with Maddox.

“He told her about me. About all of you”, Bella says.

“Is that what Victoria was saying?”, Tanya asks.

“Yeah.”

“Well, you were right about Alex”, Tanya says.

“He was a vampire?”, Bella asks.

“Yes. Just not a normal one. I don’t know what was wrong with him.”

“Where’s Kate and Garrett?”, Bella asks.

“Hunting. We’ll go when they come back”, Maddox says.

“You should go with them. You fought too”, Bella tells Tanya.

“I don’t want to leave you alone”, Tanya says.

“Kate and Garrett will be here”, Bella responds.

Bella looks at Henry again, rubbing her hand over his hair.

“I don’t want him to remember this. Can you help him? Like you offered to help me?”, Bella asks Maddox.

“Absolutely”, Maddox says.

“Bella you’re in for a long night. Do you want anything? Water or something?”, Irina asks.

Bella is thrown off guard by the change in topic.

“Um…water I guess.”

“We’ll go get you some”, Irina says, pulling Maddox along.

Irina and Maddox leave the room, eventually standing in front of a vending machine out of Tanya’s hearing range.

“What are you doing?”, Irina asks.

“What do you mean?”

“You can’t help him. It’s too dangerous.”

“And I’m just supposed to leave him like that? Traumatized?”

“We don’t know if he remembers yet. He could block it out.”

“It’s not worth the risk Irina. Trust me”, Maddox says calmly.

“Do you think Bella would trust you if she knew what could happen? It was already dangerous enough when you offered it to her.”

“I can do this.”

“Maddox, it is one thing experimenting and improving your ability on random people, but he’s a child. He’s family.”

“It worked on my brother.”

“But what about the people it didn’t work on? The people who don’t know who they are. The people who are so far gone and messed up that they don’t have a life. What if he wakes up and doesn’t know how to talk or walk or even know who Bella is? Who his mother is.”

“I’ve gotten better. I have to try Irina. I’ll do it and we’ll go from there.”

* * *

Maddox hands Bella the water bottle and a bag of trail mix.

“Thanks.”

“Any time”, Maddox says.

“So, how will this work? He’ll just forget? Is it an illusion?”, Bella asks.

“Creating new memories is similar to an illusion, yes. Erasing them…it’s more complicated. It messes with way the brain works on a more chemical and physical level. It’s hard to explain.”

“When can you do it?”

“After I hunt. Then let him rest.”

“You should get some rest too”, Tanya says.

“I can’t leave him.”

“We’ll watch him. Take shifts. You should be in a real bed”, Kate says, walking into the room with Garrett.

“Okay. I have to pick Leona up in the morning anyway.”

“Do you want us to do it?”, Tanya asks.

“No, I can do it. Jake’s supposed to get in tomorrow too. He didn’t tell me what time though.”

“We’ll go hunt and I’ll help him when we get back”, Maddox says.

Maddox, Irina, and Tanya leave. Kate and Garrett sit down on a small sofa in the room.

“Thank you for saving him. Bringing him here”, Bella says.

“No use leaving him there. The hospital seemed like the right option. Finish the camping adventure”, Kate says, trying to lighten the mood.

A smile pulls at Bella’s lips and then a small chuckle. Even with the smallest jokes, it didn’t change the fact that Kate and the others did everything they could to help Henry. For that, Bella knows in a way Victoria was right. They are her dream family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you think Maddox can pull it off, or are Irina's concerns valid?


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, comments, and kudos :). There will most likely be one more chapter after this.

Bella wakes up in the morning and sits up in her bed. Looking around, everything seems the same, as if what happened the night before was a dream.

“Morning”, Tanya says, sitting up beside her.

“Morning.”

“How are you feeling?” 

“Better. Sort of.”

Bella glances at the clock on her nightstand. _8:00 a.m._

“I’m going to stop by the hospital and see Henry before picking up Leona. See if he’s awake.”

“Yes, about that…”, Tanya says.

“What is it?”, Bella asks.

“Irina called last night. She wanted to talk about Henry and Maddox.”

“Did it not work?”

“He didn’t do it yet. There are certain aspects Maddox didn’t mention that Irina wanted you to know.”

“Okay. Like what?”

“I don’t focus much on everyone’s gift, given I don’t really have one. Apparently, Maddox is not as skilled as he’s tried to let on. There is a chance that he could mess up and Henry wouldn’t remember you.”

“Is that the worst case?”

“No. He might not remember anything.”

Bella is quiet, debating on if Maddox erasing Henry’s memory is a good idea at this point. _Why didn’t Maddox tell me?_

“Do you still want to go through with it?”

“What exactly is Maddox’s plan? He has to have a plan, right?”, Bella rushes out.

_He wouldn’t just go in without a plan. He cares about Henry too much._

“The plan is to erase Henry’s memory from when he walked off to go to the bathroom forward. Then replace it with a memory of him enjoying camping for the rest of the night.”

“And his arm?”

“Maddox mentioned that when his sister climbed and fell from a tree as a kid, she had a similar break to Henry’s. Kate told the doctor Henry fell and that’s how he hurt his arm. Maddox will put in a memory of Henry climbing a tree that night.”

“Henry doesn’t climb trees.”

“Henry will think it happened, regardless of past behavior.”

“So he’ll think the camping trip was just cut short?”

“Exactly. Do you want him to dislike camping? I’m sure Maddox can invoke an emotion in the memory if you want him to dislike it. Irina says when he does it well, it’s pretty much perfect.”

“No. Henry was having fun before…”

Bella gets out of the bed and walks over to the desk. She pauses, remembering her phone was crushed by Alex.

“My phone…”

“Garrett picked up a new one for you and brought it”, Tanya says.

Tanya walks over to the door and reaches into a small bag on the handle. She pulls out a cell phone box.

“Thanks”, Bella says, taking the box from Tanya. “If Maddox does not use his power on Henry and he remembers, then what?”

“We can always make something up. Make it seem like a dream, but I don’t know.”

“Would he have to become a vampire? He would know your secret.”

“He wouldn’t know about us. Just the others and we can pass them off as crazy. It’s risky, but we can. I don’t want to rush you, but it is better to do it before he wakes up.”

“I’m surprised he slept through the night.”

“He didn’t. Kate said he work up briefly, but was so tired, he went right back to sleep. He was not up long enough to say anything. I know this is a hard decision.”

“No. He will have nightmares for who knows how long. Tell Maddox to do it.”

Tanya nods before typing a message in her phone.

“Why didn’t Maddox tell me everything? I mean, he offered it to me.”

“From what I’ve learned about Maddox, he’s a good guy, but has a habit of embellishing and generally trying to make things seem better than they are. To make the other person feel better. Feel safe. Though based on Irina’s tone, she voiced her concern to Maddox when he offered to erase the Cullens for you.”

“I hope it works”, Bella says, grabbing a towel for the shower.

“Me too. You should eat before you go as well”, Tanya says with a small smile.

“I don’t really have the appetite, but I’ll try.”

* * *

Bella stands in the hallway outside of Henry’s room. Maddox leaves the room and smiles at her.

“Bella”, he says, greeting her.

Bella does not smile back, instead frowning.

“Why didn’t you tell me everything? What could happen to Henry?”, Bella says.

“I’m going to find Irina and give you two a minute”, Tanya says, walking away.

“I should have heard it from you. Not Irina”, Bella says.

“You’re right”, Maddox responds simply.

“You made it sound like it would be easy. Don’t lie to me again.”

“I didn’t lie, Bella”, Maddox defends.

“Don’t-don’t hide things. Tell me the truth. We’re going to be family. I need to able to trust you.”

Maddox pauses, his golden eyes staring into Bella’s. Bella knows Maddox is aware that she’s not angry, just disappointed. Maddox is one the closest connections to humanity she has found in a vampire. In addition to Carmen and Esme. Both have a love of family and appreciation for others.

“I’m sorry Bella”, Maddox says.

Bella nods and then looks at the door to Henry’s room.

“Did you do it?”, Bella asks.

“Yes.”

“Did it work?”

“He is still asleep, but I’m sure it worked.”

“I don’t think I can handle this if it does not”, Bella says, opening the door.

Henry is sleeping and the nurse is checking on him. Bella smiles at the nurse and then sits down next to the bed.

Tanya, Irina, and Maddox enter the room and walk over to Bella.

“Have you thought about what you will tell Leona?”, Tanya asks.

“Sort of. I know I can’t tell her the truth. Figured I’ll go off of what Maddox made Henry think happened.”

“Will she be mad?”, Irina asks.

“I don’t think so. Leona is pretty relaxed about things. But nothing this serious has happened before. I’ve been extra careful with Henry. Tried to keep him safe.”

“You have Bella. You’ve done an excellent job”, Tanya says.

Bella checks the time on her phone. _9:30 a.m.._

“I’ll relax here for a little while and watch TV or something. Then I’ll go pick up Leona from the airport."

* * *

Bella pulls up to the curb outside the airport doors. Leona should have her bag by now, if she has one. She sends Leona a text as a reminder she is outside. Her phone buzzes with a message.

_Charlie: Hey Bells, checking in on you. How is everything?_

_Oh Charlie, if only you knew._ Bella starts to type back, but then deletes the words. She jerks up hearing a knock on her passenger window. She looks up to see Leona grinning ear to ear and waving as if she hasn’t seen Bella in forever. Her dark blonde hair reaches a few inches past her shoulders and her blue eyes match the cardigan peeking under her winter coat. It has been so long, Bella forgot how tall she was, but even now, at 25 years old, she looks just like Henry. No one could doubt he is her son.

The joy Bella feels in a returned smile melts to confusion. Next to Leona, standing shyly, is Jacob? Bella unlocks the door and pops the trunk seeing Jacob holding what she assumes is his and Leona’s small suitcases. Bella gets out of the car to greet Leona while Jacob opens the trunk.

“Bella!”, Leona says.

Her voice rings like wind chimes in Bella’s ears as Leona hugs her tightly. She radiates positivity and familiarity as if she’s only been gone for a few days rather than months.

“Welcome home”, Bella says.

She glances at Jacob who closes the trunk and smiles.

“Hey Bella. Perfect timing”, Jacob says.

“You two know each other?”, Leona asks, watching Bella hug Jacob.

“Yeah. Jacob is my friend from Forks.”

“Oh _that_ Jacob”, Leona says with a bit of laughter and recognition on her face.

“What do you mean _that_ Jacob? What have you said about me Bella?”

“ _Many things_ ”, Leona teases.

“So, how did you two meet?”, Bella asks.

“My bag had a hole in it that I had tried to patch up before I got on the plane—”

“And the patch up job was horrible!”, Jacob cuts in, chuckling.

“It was! I admit that. Anyway, I had some loose items in my bag poking out, some even falling through, and he chased after to tell me.”

“Her stuff was everywhere Bella. She can’t pack at all.”

“Hey! I manage just fine most times”, Leona says, elbowing Jacob.

“Then she told me her ride was here, so I offered to help carry her bag out.”

“With my luck today, I couldn’t resist a gentleman’s hand”, Leona says, earning a blush from Jacob.

Leona’s eyes are still focused on Bella, but Jacob’s are not. They are looking at Leona. A look of complete admiration and affection that Bella came to recognize after spending time with the others at La Push. Cars honk behind them and they hurry into the car. Bella pulls away from the curb while they put their seatbelts on.

“So, the weather is clearing up nicely. Pretty soon it will be summer”, Leona says.

“Yep”, Bella says.

She can barely focus on what Leona is saying. She glances at Jacob in the rearview mirror. He is completely engrossed in Leona’s words, but it is hard to tell if Leona recognizes it. Similar to Henry, she is friendly to pretty much everyone. If it is what Bella thinks, she will have to bring it up to Jacob later.

“Is Henry at school or did you let him take off?”, Leona asks.

Bella catches the word Henry, but that’s it. She glances at Leona and then back at the road.

“What did you say?”

“I asked where Henry is. Is he at school or with Fin?”

“About that…Henry wanted to go camping yesterday. Just the two of us.”

Leona’s face drops in disappointment, but she shakes her head a little as if pushing the feeling away.

“Tha-that’s okay. Did he have fun?”

“He did, but he uh…he got a little too adventurous. Climbed a tree. Then he fell and broke his arm. He’s in the hospital right now, but I believe we can check out today. It was an accident. He did not need surgery. Just a cast.”

Leona’s happy mood flattens completely to one of concern. Jacob is the same.

“So are we going to the hospital now?”, Leona asks.

“Yes. I’m sorry Leona. I should have—”

“I know you Bella. It was an accident”, Leona says.

“He’s probably awake right now and can’t wait to see his mom. Probably bored out of his mind”, Jacob says, trying to bring some hope into the conversation.

“Actually, Tanya and her family are there. They’ll talk to him.”

“Tanya? Who’s that?”, Leona asks.

“My girlfriend. It’s a new relationship”, Bella rushes out. “But Henry’s met her. He likes her. And—”

“You don’t have to explain your choice of lovers to me Bella. I know you wouldn’t just have anyone around Henry. This Tanya must be pretty special”, Leona says.

“She is”, Bella says.

Leona used to encourage Bella to date more. Get over Edward. Though she didn’t push her too much. Probably because she didn’t want Bella to say that dating is hard to do when you are balancing school, work, and taking care of someone else’s kid. It would have stung her like crazy.

“I’ve met Tanya. She’s _alright_ ”, Jacob jokes.

Bella scoffs and rolls her eyes.

“Jacob’s just upset because he wasn’t my first choice. _Again_ ”, Bella states.

“I don’t care if I’m your tenth choice. Hundredth choice even. I’m over you Bella”, Jacob says.

His voice is serious and he glances at Leona to see how she reacts. Leona already knows about Jacob’s previous interest in Bella. Bella can’t tell if Leona is attracted to Jacob. If she is, she wouldn’t be opposed to dating him since him and Bella didn’t actually get together. 

“Okay you two, back to your corners”, Leona says, eyes eager as if she is watching a boxing match.

Bella focuses on the road for the rest of the drive. When she does try to tune in, Jacob and Leona are talking away. They didn’t even have the radio on.

* * *

“I want to get him something from the gift shop. Think they have anything he’d like?”, Leona asks as they walk into the hospital.

Bella can tell immediately that Leona is nervous. She has not talked that much to Henry this year and voicemails are not the same. And while Bella has shared pictures of class projects and videos, it is not a replacement for actual contact.

“I’m sure whatever you pick will be great. Henry’s an awesome kid with a lot of interests”, Jacobs says.

Leona smiles in appreciation. They pick a few random items from the gift shop and take the elevator to Henry’s room. Bella walks inside first. Henry is already sat up in the bed. He turns his head from Maddox to look at Bella.

“Bella!”, Henry says, smiling.

“Hey! Look who it is Henry!”, Bella says, walking over to him.

Leona walks into the room, a giant smile on her face, an immense amount of love in her eyes. Henry stares at her.

“What are you doing here?”, Henry asks.

His tone hints at a small amount of anger. He obviously remembers her and knew she was coming. Maybe part of him hoped she would not have. Leona’s smile falls and turns to a look of understanding. While Henry’s change over his mother surprised Bella, Leona seems prepared for it. Leona steps closer to the bed and sits in a chair, placing the gift shop bag on the side table.

“Henry I love you. I’m your mom.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t be”, Henry whispers, turning away from her.

“Henry!”, Bella exclaims, shocked.

“No, it’s okay. Can you give us a moment?”, Leona asks.

“Of course”, Maddox says.

Part of Bella wants to stay, wants to help somehow. But she knows this is something Leona has to handle on her own. Maddox, Bella, and Jacob step into the hallway.

“Let’s get further away. If we stand here, I’ll want to know what she’s saying to him”, Bella says.

They walk further away from the room, Bella trying not to ask Maddox what Leona is saying.

“So that’s Leona huh? Henry looks just like her”, Maddox says.

“He does”, Bella says.

“She seems friendlier than I thought she would be. I mean you said good things about her, but I guess I pictured someone different. Maybe not the kind of personality I expected for someone who abandoned her kid”, Maddox states.

“She didn’t abandon him! She was always going to come back. Right Bella?”, Jacob defends.

Jacob’s need to defend Leona isn’t surprising. What is though, is that he is already shaking from it. Maddox stops and looks at Jacob, unafraid.

“Of course she was going to come back. I can see Maddox’s point though. This is nothing to fight over”, Bella says.

“What are we fighting over?”, Tanya asks, walking over with Irina.

“Maddox accused Leona of abandoning Henry”, Jacob says.

“And Jacob’s trying to pick a fight. The facts are she has been in and out of his life. She dumped him on Bella. I call that abandonment. But she’s back now, so you can relax”, Maddox says, clearly trying to disarm Jacob.

“What’s wrong with you Jacob? Are shifters always this testy?”, Irina asks, stepping closer to Maddox.

Jacob takes a few deep breaths and manages to settle down, eyes shifting back and forth between the three vampires.

“I think he’s just sticking up for her. Like I did when you first brought Leona up”, Bella says, looking at Tanya.

“I see. But as Maddox said, Leona is back. Is she with Henry now?”, Tanya asks.

“Yeah. He wasn’t exactly happy to see her. We’re giving her some privacy”, Bella says.

“I have to handle some personal matters. I’ll see you all back at the house”, Irina says.

Irina kisses Maddox on the cheek and then looks cautiously at Jacob before passing him.

“I need to talk to Jacob alone for a minute. We’ll meet you guys back at the room”, Bella says.

“Okay”, Tanya says, observing Jacob carefully.

Tanya and Maddox head back toward Henry’s room. Bella faces Jacob.

“Why don’t we go get a snack from the cafeteria? Leona’s probably a little hungry too”, Bella suggests.

“Okay”, Jacob says, finally relaxed.

* * *

“So what did you want to talk about?”, Jacob asks, as they stand in the checkout line with a few snacks.

After Bella pays, they start walking back toward the elevator. Bella pushes the up button and stares at Jacob.

“Did you imprint on Leona?”

Jacob’s mouth is wide open in shock, but he manages to settle himself.

“Yes.”

Their meet was like something out of a cheesy romantic comedy. Bella’s mind is swirling with thoughts. She knows Jacob and Leona might actually be good together, but Jacob is a shifter. He will age with Leona, but he will tell her about him and the others at La Push. Which means Henry will know about shifters and the cold ones. This brought on both astounding happiness and immense pain for Bella. She wanted Henry to have a normal life. Both of them to have a normal life. And she now knew they wouldn’t. Or maybe Henry would never know unless Jacob and Leona have a child. Maybe Jacob would never have to tell Henry.

“What are you thinking Bella?”, Jacob asks as the elevator doors open.

They step into the elevator and push Henry’s floor, Bella crinkling the bag with the snacks in her hand.

“I don’t know”, Bella says, not looking at him.

“I think Henry’s a great kid. I’ll take care of both of them.”

“I know that. I just…wonder if what we did was for nothing.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Remember James and Victoria?”

“Yes. We kept Victoria out of La Push. Why?”, Jacob asks, hesitant.

“She attacked while Henry and I were camping. She’s dead now, but she’s the reason his arm is broken.”

“Jesus Bella!”

“Don’t worry. Maddox erased the memory. Replaced it. I just wonder if it was really worth it given you might tell him about yourself and the cold ones one day.”

The elevator doors open and they step out. Jacob stops before they get too far down the hallway.

“I don’t know if I will tell him about me. But Maddox did the right thing. You did the right thing. Stories about vampires are very different than actually being hurt by one.”

“And if you do tell him? What will you say about Tanya and her family? About me?”, Bella asks.

Jacob pauses, staring into Bella’s eyes for what feels like an eternity.

“I’ll tell him that just like humans, all vampires are different. I don’t know what I will say about you. We’ll face that when we have to. If we have to. I haven’t even asked Leona on a date”, Jacob says, trying to remove tension.

Bella chuckles, a smile finally on her face.

“You’re right. I’m happy for you.”

They hug and then continue toward Henry’s room. When they get there, Tanya and Maddox are waiting outside.

“We wanted to wait until you got back. She does not know us”, Tanya says.

“Did it sound like they worked it out?”, Bella asks.

“Seems so. I didn’t hear any arguing when we got here”, Tanya says.

“I’m sorry Maddox”, Jacob interrupts. “Just because I imprinted does not mean I should have lashed out on you. I can tell you care about Henry.”

“I do, but let’s not discuss it anymore”, Maddox says.

“Glad that’s settled. Shall we?”, Tanya asks.

Bella nods and knocks before opening the door. Leona is squeezed in the bed with Henry. They both smile at her.

“We’re moving, Bella!”, Henry says, cuddled up to Leona.

“Moving?”, Bella says.

“Yeah. We’re moving to Georgia”, Leona says.

“Somewhere warm…and sunny”, Jacob mumbles, glancing at Bella.

“I got a job. Henry will finish out the school year here since it is almost over. Then we’ll move. Fresh start, you know?”

“Congratulations. Fresh starts can really help”, Tanya says.

Leona looks at Tanya and Maddox, most likely wondering who they are. She probably wanted to ask when she first saw Maddox with Henry, but pushed it aside.

“Leona, this is Tanya and Maddox.”

“Ah! You’re Tanya”, Leona says. “Nice to meet you. I hope my son hasn’t been too much trouble in you and Bella’s relationship.”

“Not at all”, Tanya says.

“Tanya’s great, Mom!”, Henry says.

“And you’re…Maddox?”, Leona asks.

“Yes. Nice to meet you”, Maddox says.

“Maddox is my sister’s boyfriend.”

“You’ve got a great kid”, Maddox says.

“I know”, Leona says.

A knock sounds at the door and Kate walks inside, something behind her back.

“Hey! Hope I’m not interrupting anything”, Kate says.

“No. We were just meeting Leona, Henry’s mom. Leona, this is my sister Kate”, Tanya says.

“Wow Bella, you were right. Tanya’s family is there for Henry. I appreciate it. I know Bella’s had to rough it alone with Fin. I’m glad to be back”, Leona says.

Kate walks closer to the bed, focused on Henry.

“How are you feeling Henry?”, Kate asks.

“A lot better. They think I can go home today”, Henry responds.

“That’s great. I got you something”, Kate says.

She pulls a comic book from behind her back, its blue and gold cover and bold print shining under the room lights.

“Check it out! I got you the new _The Vampire Nights_ ”, Kate says.

“Oh wow! Vampire Nights! Isn’t that awesome Henry?”, Leona says.

Henry’s positive mood downs a bit as he glances at the comic book.

“I don’t really want to read those anymore.”

“Why not, honey? They’re one of your favorites”, Leona asks.

Henry turns his head away slightly, eyes distant. Confusion coats his face as if he can’t place why he feels this way. 

“……I don’t know. I just don’t want to”, he says softly.

“Okay, well…we’ll hold onto it in case he changes his mind. Thank you”, Leona says, taking the comic book from Kate.

“Of course”, Kate responds, eyes shifting toward Maddox.

“Did it not work?”, Tanya whispers.

It’s loud enough for Bella to hear, but not Leona. Bella turns her head toward Maddox, questioning.

“It worked. I’m sure of it. Checked multiple times. Might just be residuals of emotion. Like it created an instinct to avoid vampires. Obviously not too much though. He still likes us”, Maddox responds in a whisper.

“Hey buddy! Did you check out the cool stuff your mom brought you?”, Jacob asks, joining the conversation.

“Yeah! It’s pretty nice stuff for a gift shop”, Henry says, smile returning.

“I brought you a real present. It’s in my suitcase”, Leona says, as if Henry jabbed her with the comment.

Tanya, Bella, and Maddox sit down on the small sofa. Jacob sits on the arm edge while Kate continues to stand by the bed.

“So Bella told me you went camping”, Leona says.

Henry glances at her awkwardly.

“We did. I’m sorry we went without you”, Henry says.

“It’s okay. I get it. Maybe we can go camping next year. No tree climbing of course. That’s against the rules”, Leona says, kissing Henry on the forehead.

“Exactly. And there’s a lot more stuff you can do outside than climb trees”, Jacob says.

“Are you mad we went without you Jacob?”

“Nah! Bella needed a practice run on her camping skills. I did not need to see her failure”, Jacob says.

“She was pretty bad. I set up everything”, Henry says, laughing.

“Hey! I offered”, Bella defends.

They all laugh, even Tanya.

“Let’s not talk about camping anymore. I feel like the jokes will just get worse. How about I get a marker and we sign your cast?”, Bella says.

“Okay!”, Henry says.

Bella steps outside the room and walks toward the nurse’s station to ask for a marker. A lot has happened, but at least Henry is okay. They are all okay.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the final chapter. Thank you for reading, kudos, and comments. Sorry I got the last chapter in a little late.

“So, what do you think?”, Tanya whispers in Bella’s ear.

Tanya arms wrap around Bella from behind and she pulls her close. Bella’s eyes are focused on the black frame, its glass center making the insides even more powerful.

“I can’t believe I graduated”, Bella says, a small amount of awe in her voice as she admires her diploma.

Tanya chuckles, kissing Bella on the cheek.

“You said that on your graduation day. And at your graduation party. And—”

“The shock is still settling”, Bella says.

They stand there for a few minutes in silence. It is less about the diploma now; more about what comes next.

“It’s my last day.”

Part of Bella wonders if she should ask Tanya for more time, but it feels wrong to do so. She has had three more years of humanity and in that time, finished college, and traveled to Japan and Ireland on summer breaks. At first she suggested Italy, but Eleazar reminded her that the Volturi are there and while they have managed to avoid them so far, it is too risky walking right into the lion’s den with the assumption that they wouldn’t be discovered.

“I thought we were going to hang up the other one too?”, Bella asks, looking at the empty spot on the left of the diploma.

“You may think you want that, but trust me, you do not”, Tanya says.

Bella wants a few pictures of her and Charlie, as well as one of her, Leona, and Henry. Tanya had told her before; those pictures will be equivalent to looking at her obituary if they are on the wall. It is a life she is leaving behind and while those memories are good to have and look back on in photo albums, seeing them in a newborn state could cause all sorts of emotions.

“Are you still going to call your dad?” 

_Should I?,_ Bella considers. Letting go of Leona and Henry was easy as they lived in another state and had so much going on. Leona and Jacob just started dating but are taking it slow. He moved to Georgia for college and has been aging with Leona. Jacob still has not told her about shifters, which comforts Bella somehow. She already quit her job, and her and Troy only talk on occasion now. Bella knows the hardest part of today will be saying goodbye to Charlie.

“I am.”

Bella moves away from wall and walks down the hallway, pulling Tanya by the hand with her. They go downstairs and everyone is acting like it is just another normal immortal day.

“Morning”, Bella says, sitting down on the sofa.

“Good morning Bella”, Carmen says, handing her a cup of coffee.

“Ready for the last day of your life?”, Garrett asks.

“I guess. You seem to be ready.”

“Absolutely. I cannot wait till you’re one of us. Though I wish the way you go out would be more exciting”, Garrett says.

“I think a car accident is fine. Believable. Does not draw too much attention”, Tanya says, sitting beside Bella.

Tanya seems to have thought it all through. After Bella is turned, she will stay in their house and when she is able to be around humans again, they will travel. Bella wondered why they were not moving now, but Tanya told her that they are secluded to where it does not matter right now. Regardless of where they change Bella, she can’t go anywhere after. Plus the Denalis have only lived in Alaska for the past few years. This is a new time period and when Bella is ready, she can pick the next location.

“Anything special you want to do today?”, Kate asks.

“Maybe I’ll just relax? Try to get the last bit of sleep.”

“Lame”, Kate says, rolling her eyes.

Bella ignores her. She is sure if Kate could, she would sleep too. Only to dream.

“Is that what you will miss the most? Sleeping?”, Irina asks.

“No, but I definitely appreciate it more now.”

“There’s so much you get done when you don’t have to sleep”, Eleazar says.

“I know. Maybe I’ll miss food too. Drinking blood isn’t exactly a perk of becoming a vampire.”

“You’ll get over it”, Kate says, brushing the idea of disgust aside.

“What will you say to your father?”, Carmen asks.

Everyone’s eyes are really on Bella now. This will be the last time she talks to Charlie. Should she make it a goodbye call, act like everything is normal, or something in between?

“I don’t know”, Bella says.

“Are you going to call Leona and Henry again?”, Maddox asks.

“…I don’t know”, Bella replies, sighing.

“Don’t know much do you?”, Kate says. “I guess you’ll catch up as a vampire.”

“Kate”, Tanya chides.

Bella is fully used to Kate’s personality now. All of the Denali coven really. This week inside has been filled with nonstop laughter. They might have more fun with newborn Bella than Bella herself.

“So after I’m turned, I will hunt for the first time?”

“Yes”, Tanya confirms.

“From animals right?”

“Yes, unless you want to drink from a human”, Tanya says.

“You’d let me do that?”, Bella asks.

She can’t believe it. _Why would they let me do that?_

“For your first time. We aren’t like the Cullens. We know that drinking human blood is very much the vampire way. Who are we to hold you back from that experience?”, Tanya says.

At this point, it is strictly a Bella and Tanya conversation. Everyone else walked away, going about their day. They are letting Tanya decide what Bella’s newborn rules will be. But does Bella want human blood? She is not sure. It feels like Tanya is giving her a free pass to do whatever she wants in her newborn year.

“I should probably call Charlie now”, Bella says, changing topic.

Bella knows saying goodbye to Charlie will be one of the hardest things she has ever had to do. Fin was difficult too. Even after Henry and Leona moved, Bella went to Book Sweet every day like clockwork. She claimed that old habits die hard and found herself sitting with him for a good hour or so just talking at the counter. She will miss his good advice. She managed a teary goodbye with Fin, but all it led to was confusion on his end. He told Bella, “you act like you’re going away forever” and then joked that he is glad Tanya is around because her and Henry’s presence was kind of clingy. That made Bella laugh and realize that Fin would be okay in the end.

Bella walks back upstairs into Tanya’s room. Or their room now. Even though Bella has not made any changes. She moved in with Tanya when her lease ended after Henry and Leona left. Bella takes out her cell phone and calls Charlie. She is alone in the room, giving her some kind of privacy. That is one thing she will miss. There is no privacy here. If her and Tanya want some, they must leave the house. After a few rings, Charlie’s gruff voice comes through.

“Bella! How are you?”

“Good. Just relaxing. Jet lag”, Bella responds.

“Yeah, you’ve traveled a lot When are you coming to visit me in Forks? We have some new stuff worth checking out here too.”

“Um…I don’t know. We might take a break from traveling for a while. But maybe…around Christmas?”

Bella’s heart pinches. They would not see each other at Christmas time. Yet, here she is pretending. Her voice had dropped too. Did Charlie notice?

“You alright Bella? You didn’t sound so good just then.”

Of course he noticed.

“Um…”

Bella feels a hand on her shoulder and looks up to see Tanya smiling at her. Tanya does not have to say anything. Bella feels stronger already.

“Bella?”, Charlie says.

“Yeah, sorry. Tanya walked in the room.”

“Hi Charlie!”, Tanya calls out.

“Hi Tanya.

Bella smiles thinking back to when Charlie and Tanya first met. It all happened on an awkward video chat. Jacob accidentally told Charlie about Bella being in a relationship before she could. Charlie asked Tanya questions about her background, settling for each response. Tanya joked it felt like a job interview, causing Charlie to blush. But Bella understood. She had only dated after Edward, so to finally commit to someone sparked Charlie’s curiosity.

Charlie came to Denali for Bella’s graduation. When Charlie saw Tanya, he was dumbfounded. Partially by her beauty, but also by her strange paleness and gold eyes. Bella guessed he did not pay much attention to those features on the video. Bella did not tell him that Tanya was Edward’s cousin. As far as Charlie knew, gold eyes were just a strange medical condition. He was wary of Tanya at first, seeing how serious her and Bella were about each other. He admitted it was strange seeing his little girl all grown up. It was like seeing Tanya only through video chat before gave Charlie his own mental shield.

Tanya nudges Bella lightly. Bella snaps out of her thoughts, confused.

“He was asking you something”, Tanya says.

“Oh!”, Bella whispers. “What did you say?”, Bella asks Charlie.

“I was asking you what your next step is? Are you going to get a master’s or get straight to work?”

“I don’t…I don’t have all that figured out yet”, Bella says.

Charlie starts talking again, but Bella is not listening. She does have it all figured out. She will become a vampire and then when she can be around people again, she will travel some more and even go back to school. There are quite a few books in Tanya’s collection now; Bella could write some or even get degrees and certifications in various fields. Tanya begins to nudge her again, this time with a bit of worry in her eyes.

“Dad, I love you!”, Bella interjects.

There was no sadness in her confession. Only calm. She did not need a heavy goodbye. Just to keep it simple and truthful. She can tell Charlie is shocked. There is a pause and a bit of stuttering on his end.

“I love you too Bella. Listen Billy’s here, but we can talk tomorrow okay?”

“Okay. Bye Dad”, Bella says, holding back tears.

Charlie says a quick goodbye and hangs up. Tanya pulls Bella into her arms and Bella lets her tears fall freely.

“Can we leave for a while? Go to our spot?”, Bella asks.

“Of course.”

As Tanya ran them to the waterfront, Bella felt the wind on her face and it refreshed her. She will be fine and so will Charlie. Losing her will hurt, but he will have Billy and Jacob and from what Bella has been hearing, he will have Sue as well. He will heal.

* * *

Bella lies back on the bed and closes her eyes, taking a deep breath. This is it.

“Have you turned anyone before?”, Bella asks, opening her eyes.

“No. But I’m not lacking confidence”, Tanya says as she moves more on top of her.

Tanya’s voice is deeper than Bella’s ever heard and there is more than a hint that Tanya’s excited. Tanya pushes herself further into Bella, until they cannot get any closer. Bella feels Tanya’s breath on her neck. That fuels Bella’s excitement to where it crosses the line, bringing in tiny bits of arousal. Tanya hums in appreciation and then growls, turning this perceived romantic situation into a predatory one. But Bella knows she is safe. Then a thought slams into Bella’s mind, ripping safety apart.

“Do you think I’ll end up like Alex?”, Bella whispers.

She cannot bear to say it louder. She knows Tanya heard her. Tanya pulls back slightly, just enough for her dark gold eyes to lock on Bella’s with more passion and seriousness than Bella has ever seen.

“No. That won’t happen to you.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because I won’t let it.”

“Do you know how Alex became the way he did?”

“No. Eleazar posed that maybe he was bit by something else before. There’s also a thought that something just went wrong. Perhaps maybe when people are changed into vampires, during that rewriting process to give one better vision, hearing, a voice that draws people in, a smell that entrances, that it is not always perfect. That it just did not work for him or was disrupted somehow. I think it will be a mystery unless there are others out there. But you won’t be one of them.”

“You were right. You’re not lacking confidence.”

“For you Bella, for this, I’ll always be sure. I have no doubt of your future. Our future.”

Bella touches Tanya’s cheeks with her hands, leans up, and kisses her. She kiss is long and Bella wants it to indicate to Tanya somehow that she trusts her…maybe there is even a thank you there. A thank you for everything.

“Okay?”, Tanya asks.

“Okay”, Bella responds, resting her head back against the pillow.

Tanya smiles, then leans down, positioning her mouth on the right side of Bella’s neck. There is a pause as Bella becomes more comfortable, her racing heart relaxing. At first Bella thinks Tanya changed her mind because she has not bitten her yet. Opening her mouth to ask, she instead gasps feeling Tanya bite into her neck.

The pain from Tanya’s bite is not instant like the one from James. When the venom takes effect, Bella shifts as if she can escape it. It is like acid or like a match was thrown on her. Either way there is burning, which increases more when she feels Tanya bite her two more times. Bella is so focused on the first bite, she can’t really tell where the others are. The first whimper emerges from her lips and the last thing she recognizes before shutting her eyes is Tanya moving to lay next to her. Tanya was right. It is more painful this time and it already feels like it has been hours rather than maybe a minute or two.

“It’s alright Bella. I’m right here”, Tanya says.

Tanya’s hand on hers relaxes her briefly, as if the coolness from her touch radiates to the bites. That oasis is gone as fast as it came when Bella’s hand rips away from Tanya’s and she writhes in the bed. She does not feel Tanya try to grab it again, but it all becomes meaningless as she falls into the darkness from pain.

* * *

There is no such thing as silence. That is the first thought Bella has when the pain finally stops. Even with her eyes still closed, she can visualize the forest trees moving in the wind, the soft footsteps below her, even the gentle taps of a spider’s legs on the glass window.

She breathes in even though it is not necessary. An eruption of smells fills her nostrils. Things that she did not think would have a smell or that she could not previously register, now could be brought to the forefront. The cascade of new smells is sorted through instinctively as Bella focuses on one in particular. Vanilla. It is familiar. She cannot place who or what it belongs to, but as she tries to breathe more of it in, she realizes that silence is a possibility. Focusing on that smell silences everything else and creates a calm Bella thought was unachievable. The calm provides enough for Bella to want to open her eyes. She can see every speck of dust on the ceiling. Very little of it, but that in itself amazes her. Bella sits up straight in the bed and glances around the room. This is not her room, she is sure of that.

“Told you everything would be fine, Bella. You smell as wonderful as you did before”, a voice says beside her.

The voice is bright, airy, yet somehow laced with seriousness. And maybe even a tiny amount of teasing? Bella turns her head in the voice’s direction and sees a woman with strawberry blonde curly hair and reddish gold eyes. _Those eyes can’t be normal,_ Bella thinks. The woman does not seem like a threat. _I’m sure I could take her if she attacks._ _Attacks? Why would she do that? Why would any normal person do that?_ But the woman standing by the bed must be far from normal with eyes like that. And how does she know Bella’s name?

“Who are you?”, Bella asks.

It slips from her lips carelessly and Bella expects an answer. Demands one really. She might not be in her room, but she clearly has chosen to awaken here and that is enough for it to be hers. Bella wonders for a second where this territorial part of her is coming from but it is pushed aside by the woman’s answer.

“And you can talk too. Why don’t you guess? I don’t think telling you will help much.”

Bella wants to argue, but the idea that she could beat this woman in a fight dissipates when Bella’s eyes lock with hers. If anything, Bella starts to feel submissive. This woman is clearly stronger than Bella first thought. Maybe she should guess. Bella’s eyes scroll over the woman, examining every feature, every piece of clothing. Bella finds herself wanting to study every inch of this woman, but behind that Bella knows who the woman is. She can feel it. A name slowly revealing itself in her mind.

“Tanya”, Bella says, sure of herself.

The woman smiles, confirming and then moves onto the bed, getting closer. Bella is frozen taking in Tanya. The wondrous smell is from her. If Bella knows Tanya’s name, she must know more right? She does not have long to consider the question as everything rushes back to her and she remembers.

“You’re a vampire. I am too”, Bella says.

“That’s right”, Tanya says, placing her hand on Bella’s.

The calmness…it is not there anymore. The touch of Tanya’s hand sends Bella into a frenzy. It comes out of nowhere and her breath becomes heavy. A cloudiness casts over her eyes, hooding them to where she only sees Tanya. The movement of the trees, footsteps below, and the spider taps are inexistent. Tanya’s vanilla smell bathes her and another thought crosses Bella’s mind. Tanya said she smells wonderful. Tanya’s smell clearly coats her skin and yet Bella only smells hints of herself on Tanya. That’s not right is it?

“My eyes aren’t red anymore, are they?”, Bella asks, voice becoming deeper.

“No, Bella. They are not”, Tanya says.

Tanya moves her hand off Bella’s. Before Bella can stop herself, she latches onto Tanya’s arm quickly and growls. Tanya does not seem afraid. She seems to be waiting for Bella to do something. What exactly, Bella is not sure. But Bella honestly does not care as one of the final comprehensible thoughts bolds in her mind. **_Mate_** _._ She is not sure what it means, but her body seems to as it tackles Tanya without hesitation.

Tanya does not smell much like Bella now, but she will.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the story. I might do more in the future :) Special shout out to Evattude and Porcelain Flowers for commenting on pretty much every chapter. I appreciate it. Lots of hugs :)


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